In the Life of a Rock Star
by AppleCherry108
Summary: In a different day and age, the ‘sinners’ are a rock band, and Rosette’s just an ordinary school girl. And yet fate still pulls them together. But things aren’t perfect in this New York Fairytale.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: If I actually DID own Chrono Crusade, what would I do…? Hmmm…

Don'na Demo (whatever!) (Blushes) (:

Author's note: Anyway, this is my first Chrono Crusade Fanfic (that I've written down anyways) so I hope you like! (; This is a story takes place in an alternate, more modern universe (like, now in New York 'cause Chrono Crusade has a universe all to itself) And I hope you get some of the puns like "Saint Frank" or "Maggie Dillon". Also, this has every character, place, and relationship in the series (that I know about) though I might have turned a few things around—I don't know. Oh by the way, please don't hate me for how I start off Rosette and Chrono's relationship! It does start to work out, I promise! And I apologize for any weird crap you don't get, this really is an alternate universe. Okay, NO MORE POINTLESS RAMBLING! Without further ado, I present to you…

In the life of a rock star

Prologue: I hate rock stars

"Early morning…" mumble the teen Blondie as her alarm clock went off. "There's no time of the morning I hate more…" She slammed her fist down on the snooze button and went back to sleep. Her sapphire eyes shot open when she realized that she's already late for school. "CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! Why am I always, ALWAYS late?" She squirmed into her uniform and started to run down the hall. Passed 1 door, 2 doors, 3—she stopped. Slowly backed up, turned, and stared maliciously at the mussed lump on the bed happily snoring away.

'_That's it.'_ she thought.

She carefully walked up to the bed being sure to tiptoe over every piece of dirty laundry and old candy wrappers lying about. She leaned really close, took a deep breath, and… "JOSHUA WAKE UP, YOU LAZY JERK!" The boy in the bed sprang up and toppled over out of the bed onto his sister's feet.

"Jeepers, Rosette! I was having the best dream ever, why'd you wake me up?" he asked completely oblivious to his sister's rage. "I was dreaming I was with Big Sister." He let out a long sigh. His face turned a rosy pink.

'_Oh brother!'_ Thought Rosette. _'He always gets like that when he talks about his "big sister", or Lorena, or Fiore, or whatever the hell her name really is._

"And let me guess, there were rock stars and a German super model there too." She asked sarcastically.

Joshua gasped. "How did you know, Rosette?"

"I'm psychic." She said dryly. "!" Rosette was torn away from her thoughts when the pressure that was her brother was removed from her foot. He had crawled back into his bed and pulled the covers over his head, half way to dreamland already. "Aren't you forgetting something, LITTLE brother?"

"And what could that possibly be, Rosette?" asked Joshua whimsically, still half asleep.

This REALLY got Rosette going. She yanked off his covers and screamed "Oh I don't know, maybe some things called SCHOOL, LIFE, RESPONSIBILITY and F.Y.I.: it's YOUR turn to make breakfast!"

"But I don't wanna…" he whined without getting up, he clutched his pillow tighter.

Rosette growled at him, she'd have to sink to his level. "Y'know…" she cooed sweetly. "If you get up now, you might still have enough time after chores to make lunch for 'big sister'."

At that, Joshua's eyes popped open and he bolted up from his cozy little bed and made it to the door before stopping and jogging in place saying "Come on Rosette! Early bird gets the worm! Or in my case: The early boy gets big sister's affection! Woohoo!" As he cheerfully trotted out the door, Rosette called

"I don't know if Fiore would appreciate seeing you in your Barney pajamas." A few moments later Joshua came stomping into the room with a sullen face to show his extreme (but comical) distaste for his real sister. Rosette handed him his uniform and walked out of the room and down to the kitchen.

She went to get some cereal out of the cupboard-- knowing that Joshua would forget about making breakfast-- but stopped when she saw the 4x6 photograph in its humble frame. Rosette looked down at the picture sadly. She picked it up and plunged deep into thought.

'_That's right… Today's their anniversary.'_ She moved her thumbs over the top half of the picture where a man and a women stood smiling back at her. She sighed. _'Ten years, that's how long it's been since… since they'…_ She shook her head. Rosette couldn't finish her own thought--it was too painful.

"Good Morning, Rosette!" chirped Joshua happily as he entered the kitchen. "What'cha got there?"

Rosette turned quickly and hid the picture behind her back. "Oh… Nothing! Just saying good morning to mom and dad."

"Oh, tell'em I say 'hi!' too!" he beamed at his sister. She couldn't remind him--not now at least. She didn't want to ruin his mood, too.

"Umm… Rosette?"

"yeah?"

"Don't we go to school at 7:30?"

"yeah?" she was started to get nervous and annoyed. _'Why all the stupid questions?_'

"That's what I thought!" he smiled. "Then why does the clock say 88:88 and why has it stopped moving?"

Rosette slowly turned to look at all the clocks in the room. They all read 88:88. "Joshua? What does your watch say?" _'Please, lord, PLEASE don't let us be late again!_'

"7:20" said Joshua simply.

"always, Always, ALWAYS happens!"

Rosette started screaming frantically, grabbed her brother's hand and their schoolbags, and shot out the door.

X

"We… made it…to the…bus stop…in time." Panted Rosette. "What time does your watch have?"

"Errr… Rosette? You do know that my watch is ten minutes fast, right?"

"WHAT?" grumbled Rosette. She shot Joshua the evil eye and without appearing to move at all, wrapped both hands tightly around his neck. "I had to skip breakfast AGAIN!" she growled between gritted teeth. "Make sure this never EVER happens again," She then removed her hands from his neck but caught him in a vice grip with her right arm and gave him her 'super noogie attack' with her left fist. "okay?"

"Owowowowowowowow!"

"I'll take that as a yes." She released her brother and turned away. While Joshua was rubbing his head and muttering eternal curses on his sister's very soul, Rosette's attention had turned to a small pawn shop behind her. There were three little TVs in the window. And though each screen had a different program on it, it was all basically the same.

Purple haired, teen rock star playing with his band. Purple haired, teen rock star doing an interview with OPRAH. Purple haired, teen rock star advertising watches.

"Rosette! The bus is here!" called Joshua.

Before she turned to get on the bus to school, Rosette stuck her tongue out at all three of the screens in the window and thought :I HATE rock stars:

End Prologue: I hate rock stars

So What did you think? It stinks doesn't it? Gomen ne! I'm sorry! Chrono wasn't even in the prologue (well not in person anyway). It'll get better I promise! Here's a tiny spoiler of things to come:

German super model—Satella Harvenheit

Azmaria Hendric—Super Genius

The origin of 'big sister'

And last, but certainly not least,

'The Sinners' managed by Maggie Dillon

and Chrono and Rosette's first encounter.

Review please! (: I'd really love to hear what you think. And tell me if you want to see more of this, because I wrote a little more, but then discovered that my heart wasn't really in it. But If enough people want more, then by 'George', I'll give them more! Toodles! (smiles)


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I wish I wish I hadn't squished that fish… also that I owned Chrono Crusade… which I don't. (sob) Or the songs "hero" and "o little town of Bethlehem"

Author's note:

(Author's sub-note: this is a VERY long Author's note.)

"YAY! It's chapter one! When I sent the prologue in, I didn't think Raven Would like it, but she did! Hooray! I was so excited that I sat down and just started writing; I really hope that you like it! and now without anymore interruptions…"

WAIT! One more interruption! 'Raven' "couldn't" post my story on her website because for 'some 'unknown' reasons' it wouldn't copy and paste. I WAS SOOOOOO FREAKIN' MAD! And I didn't think I would post anymore of this story… And when I found out that I could view how many hits this story had, went DOWN! Way down… And then, I looked at it today, and I saw 2. MORE THAN I HAD EVER HOPED FOR! And now I want to write more; thanks to **Stand Alone Complex**. I luv that name! I saw that she had this story on alert, so I checked out her profile and thought 'She is WAY too awesome.' And hopefully there are more people who are looking forward to more of this story, but for now, I write for **Stand alone complex**. For she has reviewed (almost) all of my stories, so for that, I thank you.

And NOW, without any further interruptions, I present to you, chapter one of…

In the life of a rock star

Chapter one: Close encounter of the rock star kind

'_Curses!_' Thought Rosette as she boarded the city bus, '_No more seats, I HATE standing.'_

And so once again, average, 16-year old school girl, Rosette Christopher was forced to stand through the 15-minute bus ride to school. Her brother Joshua, 15 years old, never seemed to mind standing. Or freezing. Or starving. Or school or homework or chores or all-nighters or anything for that manner. He always was so oblivious to his surroundings. But he wasn't always like this. Before their parents died ten years ago, he and Rosette were the terrible two, always exploring and getting into trouble. Their parents never got made at them. Except for that one time Rosette fell through a loose manhole cover (Sewer opening) and broke her leg. They always just smiled and took lots of pictures of their adorable little kids. But ever since they died, Rosette and Joshua have moved from orphanage to orphanage, never finding a place even remotely close to what they used to call home.

But right after Rosette had her twelfth birthday, their old babysitter took them in to board at her midsized apartment in New York. Her name was Satella Harvenheit; she was German and had started a modeling career soon after the death of the Christopher children's parents. Back when she used to baby-sit for them, Satella had become something of an older sister to Rosette and Joshua. She was also very good friends of their parents, but didn't learn about their death until she returned from Germany for a vacation from her modeling. Immediately after she learned of the tragedy she gave the siblings a good home and plenty of food to eat. Though, she's never around the house much, she's usually in Germany, at her job. It didn't bother Rosette much, though.

"Seventh Bell High School" called the bus driver from over the intercom.

"This is our stop, Rosette." said Joshua, lightly pulling on his sister's sleeve. As they made their way to the front of the bus, Joshua bounded off the steps and into the arms of a dark-haired school girl. "GOOD MORNING, BIG SISTER!" he sang, nuzzling the girl's right cheek. "How are you today?" As Rosette stepped off the bus, she shot a disgusted look at her brother and his 'big sister'.

"She's not your sister you know," she said glumly, trying to pull him off the other girl. "Her name's Lorena. And haven't you been stocking her long enough?"

"Stalking?" asked the girl in her sweet, calm voice. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Master Joshua has never 'stalked' me before. He is simply showing his love for me."

Rosette let out a long, frustrated sigh. "Don't you remember?" She shook her head as Joshua continually embraced her. Rosette sighed again. How many times did she have to go over this? "Three years ago, you met Joshua. Then he instantly fell in love with and started stalking you. He called you 'Fiore' and 'big sister'. You thought he was psycho. You were always saying stuff like 'get off me you creep' and 'my name Lorena, not Fiore, you weirdo!'"

"Oh my!" gasped Fiore. "What horrible things! Surely I would have never treated my sweet Joshua in such a manner."

"Oh don't worry, big sister. Rosette's just trying to trick you again." said Joshua in a child-like manner.

"JO-SHU-A!" screamed Rosette. She ran over and slammed her fists down upon his temples, grinding them harshly.

"Owowowowowowowow!" he screamed. "Big sister, HELP MEE!"

"Lord Joshua!"

"She's not your sister, you dolt! I am!"

"I know, I know!"

"You wha…?" Rosette let go of her brother. "But you—and she—I thought—what're you talking about?"

"I know YOU'RE my big sister, Rosette. I just like calling HER big sister. It's a term of endearment."

"Sooo… You made your girlfriend's brain go 'SNAP!' because of a 'term of endearment'?"

Ding Dong Ding Dong Ding Dong Ding Dong!(5 minutes to class)

"Saved by the bell…" muttered Joshua under his breath. At last he let go of Fiore and ran through the front gates of the school. Fiore slowly followed him.

"I'm not done with you yet little brother!" screamed Rosette as she chased after him.

X

X

X

Rosette slowly trudged out of room 12A grumbling miserably "Math… I hate math… it's so pointless…"

"Rosette!" called someone from behind. It was another blonde girl followed by a redhead. When she caught up, she slouched, head hung, and all gloomy looking. "So…" she started glumly. "How did you do on the math test?"

"There isn't a grade LOW enough to describe It." said Rosette in a sad, low voice. "How about you?"

"Same. Arrrrrgh! Why the hell is math so damn hard?"

"I know what you mean," said the redhead, imitating their sullen figures. "I SO failed that test. And probably the whole class too."

"Yeah…"

"I here you…"

"Rosette! Anna! Mary! Wait up!" a brunet shouted nicely from behind them.

"Hey, Claire. What's up?"

"Was that pop quiz easy or what?" asked Claire cheerfully.

The other three girls shot her some very nasty looks.

X

"Yay! I love music class!" cheered Mary. "It's so much more fun than stupid, old math." She stuck her tongue out; the other three girls giggled—Mary's so silly!

As Rosette opened the door to the music room, her giggly mode quickly faded as she heard familiar and very much loathed lyrics.

_Now that the world isn't ending,_

_It's love that I'm sending to you…_

_As in the love of a hero,_

_And that's why I fear it won't do._

"Turn that dribble off!" she yelled as she walked in.

"But this is the Sinner's latest song!" protested a girl.

"That's why I want it off! I hate that stupid rock band, especially that midget guitar player of theirs!" All the girls in the room whined as Rosette stomped over and turned off the radio herself.

"You're so mean, Rosette!"

"Yeah, everybody loves the Sinners!"

"Well you just met one person that doesn't." grumbled Rosette angrily as she took her seat.

"Good morning class!" called the teacher as he strode into the room.

"Good morning Mr. Steiner!" called the class back.

"Now today, we'll be singing carols!" said the teacher with much enthusiasm. The class groaned in objection.

_1…_

_2…_

_3…_

The class started as one

'_O little town of Bethlehem_

_How still we see thee lie_

_Above thy deep and dreamless sleep_

_The silent stars go by'_

Some of the kids had to stop because their voices were cracking too much

'_Yet in thy dark streets shineth_

_The everlasting Light_

_The hopes and fears of all the years_

_Are met in thee tonight'_

Mr. Steiner tapped his music stand signaling everyone to stop. "Mary," he asked.

"Y-yes?" she asked nervously, stiffening at his call.

"Would you mind repeating the first stanza, please?"

"Y-you mean like a solo?" she said uncertainly.

"Of course, now on three. 1… 2… 3…"

She started.

'_O little town of Bethlehem'_

Rosette started to snicker

_How still we see thee lie_

Then giggle

_Above thy deep and dreamless sleep_

Then laugh out loud, uncontrollably

_The silent stars go…'_"What's so funny Rosette?" she demanded hotly.

"I'm sorry… It's just… It's just you're so BAD." said Rosette between laughs.

"Ms. Christopher!" shouted the teacher. "I am VERY disappointed in you! If you can't sit through even one earsplitting performance, then go stand in the hall! I will give you a ZERO for the day and talk to you after class."

"B-but!"

"No buts!"

"You can't--!"

"Um…" asked Mary. "I wasn't really THAT bad, was I Mr. Steiner?"

"Not now, Mary. I SAID OUT, ROSETTE!"

"GIVE ME ANOTHER CHANCE!" she whined. "I've never, never, never, ever done anything to disrupt THIS class before! Please, PLEASE give me an alternative?"

Mr. Steiner considered this. "Alright,"

"YES!"

"You have to apologize to Mary and--"

"DONE!"

"AND! And show her how to sing the stanza better."

"B-but… I can't—I don't—" she sighed. "Is that all?" she asked miserable. He nodded. She sighed again. "Um, Mary? I'm sorry for laughing at your singing…"

"It's alright Rosette. Apparently EVERYONE things I'm a horrible singer. It's no biggie." She smirked. "Now… What should I do to sing better?"

"Um…" _'I'm in a real pickle now! I hate my singing voice, and I totally don't know how to improve anyone else's singing.'_ "Alright, listen up!" _'Guess I'll just wing it.'_ "First you… Stand up straight," Rosette stood up and Mary copied her. "Then you tilt your head up—but only a little bit!" Mary did so. "Breathe naturally—your chest shouldn't move; your stomach should." Mary tried the breathing—she got that part down. "Then you just sing—like this!" Rosette took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and tried her best to sing.

'_O little town of Bethlehem_

_How still we see thee lie_

_Above thy deep and dreamless sleep_

_The silent stars go by_

_Yet in thy dark streets shineth_

_The everlasting Light_

_The hopes and fears of all the years_

_Are met in thee tonight'_

Rosette sighed hard and opened her eyes—the whole class was gawking at her.

"What? I know—I stink, but you don't have to stare!"

"Rosette…" started Claire. "That was… That was…"

"WONDERFUL!" finished Mary.

"Yeah Rosette, I've never heard better singing before in my entire life!" exclaimed Anna.

"W-what? N-no, NO! I'm an awful singer, I couldn't sing to save my life!"

"No way, you rock! You're even better than that one apostle kid from that one show that was Japanese but dubbed into English even though the story already took place in America!"

"You mean anime?"

"Hey I've seen that one! What was it called?"

"I think it was something 'crusade'"

"Oh! You mean the one set in 1930-something."

"Yeah!"

"No, it was 1928!"

"Not yeah sweat drop!"

"ENOUGH!" screamed Rosette. "I don't care about some stupid 'anime' from like—1999!"

"It was really recent, though—2005!"

"No, stupid! That was the dubbed version! The Japanese one came out in 2003!"

"I DON'T CARE!"

"1999 was the manga Ro—"

"I just said I don't care!"

"But you ALWAYS have to get your facts straight! Or else there could be a law suit!"

"Hey… wasn't that anime based off of a video game?" (QuickNote: I found out it's not)

"ARRRRRRGH! I really, Really, REALLY DON'T--"

Ding Dong Ding Dong Ding Dong Ding Dong! (Switch classes)

'_Thank you God, THANK YOU!_' Rosette quickly gathered her stuff into her bag and flew out of the classroom.

X

X

X

"Thank heavens school's finally over! I thought today was going to last forever!" said Rosette as she walked through the front gates. _'Although, tomorrow's probably going to be the same.'_ She looked up from her thoughts just in time to see her bus driving away without her. "H-hey! WAIT!" she screamed as she tried to chase after it. But it sped up and disappeared behind a corner. Rosette groaned as she stared walking. _'Great. And to top everything off, I have to WALK home…again.'_ If there's anything Rosette hated more than standing, it was walking. Well, OTHER than rock stars that is.

As Rosette turned another corner, she bumped into someone rather hard. She wasn't in a hurry, but apparently, HE was.

"Oh! Sorry kid!" She reached out and grabbed the boy's hand to keep him from falling backwards.

"Oh… thanks." said the boy in a soft voice. Rosette blushed—she never knew that a little kid could sound so… so… cute. "Uh…" The boy looked down at his hand, Rosette was still holding it.

"Oh! Sorry…again…"

"Ah!" The boy stared up at her in pure horror. "Y-You're a-a… GIRL!"

"Oh, gee… thanks." said Rosette sarcastically. _'Guess you can't just fall in love with a VOICE. Wait… voice? His voice, where've I heard it before?_' Then her thoughts fell back on to that morning when she was watching the TVs in the pawn shop window.

"Hey! You're that 'sinner' guy, aren't you?"

"!" The kid took a step back. Rosette heard voices coming up from behind him. With out much thought, the boy grabbed Rosette's shirt and pulled her face millimeters from his. "Do you like the Sinner's band?" He asked urgently.

"Hell NO!" yelled Rosette, spraying spit in his face.

"Then PLEASE! You've got to hide me!"

"Why should I? I don't even like you're stupid band!"

"Exactly!" He looked desperate.

Rosette groaned. "…Fine." she agreed. She led him across the street and around a corner, narrowly escaping the swath of his ravenous fans… for now.

X

X

X

Finally Rosette and the kid rocker made it to her house. Rosette closed the door behind her and leaned against it. The boy slid down with his back against the door. They were both breathing hard, panting out of exhaustion from running from the kid's crazed fans.

He stuck his hand out "I'm Chrono." He said trying to make a peace offering, since clearly this girl standing in front of him, loathed his very soul.

"I don't care." She said swatting away his hand. "I just want you out of my house before my brother gets home." (Joshua was out on a "date" with Fiore) Rosette gave Chrono a quick glance; he looked just like any other boy she could meet on the street. White T-shirt, blue jeans, his hair was stuffed inside a green baseball cap. He looked almost…normal. Well, until he took off his hat, letting his locks of long violet hair spill over his shoulders. He looked up at Rosette.

"What?"

"Nothing." She turned quickly, not wanting to develop even a tiny crush on him. She stuck out her hand. "I'm Rosette. But I still want you out of my house." Chrono took her hand and gave it a quick shake.

"Nice to meet you Rosette," He smiled. "And thanks for--"

"Want—you—out." She repeated. "As soon as your fans buzz off."

"I'll call my manager then. Tell her where I am—so she came pick me up."

"Fine, phone's in the kitchen." Chrono had no sooner walked into the kitchen, than there was a knock on the door. Rosette opened it.

"Hi Rosette!" shouted Anna as she leaned in and gave Rosette a big hug.

"We heard you missed your bus." said Claire.

"So we came here to cheer you up since you're usually a ragging storm of destruction after stuff like this!" chimed Mary as she held up a giant basket of sweets.

"Thanks guys, come on in." As the three girls entered, Rosette remembered the rock star in her kitchen. "Oh please! This way! To the living room, the kitchen's such a mess!" Her friends didn't question her logic and steered away from the kitchen to the next room. "You guys want something to drink?"

"Water please." C

"Can I have a coke?" A

"I want milk!" M

"Okay, I'll be right back," Rosette carefully left the room then shot to the kitchen; Chrono was done on the phone. "Change of plans, I need you out of here, NOW."

"But Rosette, my ride won't be here for half an hour."

"Well then go hide upstairs, will ya? My friends are here and I can't just kick them out because of some rock star."

"Your friends? Tell me they're not my fans too?"

"They are."

"I said don't tell me!" he whined. "Don't tell them I'm here, got it?"

"I won't, I won't. But I can't promise anything if they hear you. Now GO!" Chrono scurried upstairs as Rosette got her friends' drinks.

'_It's gonna take a miracle for me to pull this off!'_ She thought hopelessly as she went back out to the living room to her friends. If Chrono's ride comes before they leave, she was going to be royally screwed.

End Chapter 1: Close encounter of the rock star kind

YAY! so there's chapter one, hope you liked it! Chrono got in there a little bit at the end, but I'm thinking you guys wanna see more of him, right? Well, that's what reviewing is for! Tell me what you think, I'd love to know! I look forward to your thoughts! Please share your ideas!

Also, things to come:

Rosette and Chrono's first sweet moment! Toodles!


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: You've heard it a million times before… I'm just preachin' to the choir…

Author's note: First off, I would like to let all you know that I take every review seriously. So when I read "Aren't Rosette and Satella supposed to fight over Chrono" I thought 'OH SHIT! I knew I was forgetting something!' So yeahhh… I'll have to add that in a later chapter. Actually, it might be the next one. Okay, next order of business. Last time I put **Stand Alone Complex **in the spotlight. Today (Or maybe I should say this chapter) I would like to credit **Casui**. (BTW, she is the one who re-informed me of the Satella-Rosette cat fight-ing-ness). See, I have this habit of reading people's profiles after seeing they reviewed, or have my story on alert. Hers… Mmhm… AWSOMELY FUNNY! Mainly because she and I like practically the same shows and feel the same way on certain things… like coupling (I don't care WHAT people say, Beast Boy and Raven is cute, but Terra rocks even more (even though she's a traitor)(Teen titans thing)). Anyway, enough of my ramblings, I'll have more after the story, including some trailors for other fics I'm writing. Stick around PLEASEEEEE? (puppy eyes) LOL

Now, without further ado……

In the life of a rock star

Chapter two: The Debts of a Rock Star

The small boy gripped the banister railings as he spied on the four teen girls below. He was intent on making sure the 'tall, dumb blonde' (as he thought of her) didn't blow his cover. _'If she does,'_ he thought miserably. _'The paparazzi's gonna be all over my ass!'_

"Rosette, who were you taking to in the kitchen?" asked Claire sweetly as the 'tall, dumb blonde'—I mean 'Rosette'—brought the other girls their drinks.

"H-huh! W-why would I-I be ta-talk-talking to someone? You guys are the only ones here after all!" stammered Rosette as she started laughing hysterically.

"You're a horrible liar, Rosette." stated Mary.

"Yeah, poker faces were never your strong suit." said Anna. "So… What're you hiding? Hmm?" she pressed.

"Yeah, I mean, it's not like the super-awesome-total-hunk-magnificent-drop-dead-hottie- rock-star Chrono is upstairs watching our every move!" laughed Mary.

Upstairs, Chrono ducked into a lower spying position.

Rosette calmed her laugh to match Mary's. "Alright, you win. I was talking to… you know, on the phone." said Rosette, twiddling her thumbs and looking away from the others. A little blush tinted her face.

"ohh…" said Claire.

"You mean your BOYFRIEND!" demanded Mary in a joking manner.

Chrono did a double take. _'WHAT! She actually has a boyfriend?'_ he thought, rather miserably. _'How did a moron like HER score a guy?'_ For reasons he couldn't explain, Chrono felt a sharp sting of pain and disappointment.

"S-shut up!" shouted Rosette.

'_Rosette and Daisuke sittin' in a tree,_

_K-I-S-S-I-N-G!'_

Sang the other girls.

Chrono tightened his grip on the banister, suppressing a low growl.

"It wasn't like that!" claimed Rosette, face becoming hotter.

"Oh, but Rosy-Posy, Daisuke's sooo CUTE!"

Chrono's vice-like grip almost snapped the wooden railing in two.

"He's an excellent artist."

"And he absolutely loves dogs!"

"He's perfect, I know! But that doesn't mean you get to tease me!"

"Describe him to us, Rosette? Please?" asked Mary sweetly.

"You've met him! You know what he's like!" her face got even hotter.

"But we love the way YOU describe him! It's so much fun!" squeaked Anna.

"Alright, fine…" Rosette sighed. "He's… NOT SHORT-DOESN'T HAVE PURPLE HAIR- DEATH TO RED EYES- IS SO NOT FULL OF HIMSELF-LOVES PEOPLE-NOT MONEY-HATES MODERN ROCK-CAN'T PLAY GUITAR-" she took a deep breath. "And he loves me with his whole heart and soul." She finished with a deep sigh, her cheeks on fire.

Each characteristic of her boyfriend that she named was a blow to Chrono's pride. _'That seemed oddly specific.'_ He thought wearily.

The other girls applauded for her. "5.067 seconds, it's a new record, Rosette!" cheered Claire holding up a stop watch. Rosette giggled. She had totally forgotten about her other 'guest' that was watching her intently from above.

"Ah well…" Anna sighed. "We better get going, right girls?"

"Yeah…"

"Thanks for coming over, guys! I feel a whole lot better now!" She beamed at each of her friends in turn as they walked out the door. When Rosette closed the door and turned around, she nearly jumped out of her skin to see the short, purple-locked boy standing before her.

"What the hell!" she screamed; ocean-blue eyes the sizes of plates. She quickly regained her senses, remembering why he was here in the first place. "Jeez! Don't scare me like that!"

Chrono stared down at her from the forth step, a look of utmost disgust and shock mixed with anger on his face. Several moments passed by before either of them spoke. "What?" asked Rosette a little frightened by his sudden mood swing.

"…You never said that you had a boyfriend." He said quietly. He blew out his cheeks in a childish pout and looked away. Rosette could only stare at him dumbly. Chrono felt oddly uncomfortable. _'What the hell?'_ he asked himself. _'I just met the girl and already I feel like I've known her forever.'_ Still he could not explain his hurt feelings at the thought of her 'boyfriend' whom she seemed to love and cherish, and who 'coincidently' happened to be his exact opposite.

"You idiot!" she shouted pulling Chrono away from his thoughts. Rosette had started laughing fairly hard at the stupid expression on his face. "First off, you never asked. Second, he's not REALLY my boyfriend, just some guy that has a major crush on me. And thirdly," she became dead serious. "Why do you even care?" she whispered harshly.

Chrono turned bright red. "Well—I—you just—" he stopped, took a deep breath and finished sensibly. "I just wanna know one thing… Do you or do you not have a—"

She cut him off by placing two fingers firmly over his lips, making him blush all the more. "Don't even bother. I don't know you well enough to answer any question you ask. Therefore," she smirked evilly. "You must submit any questions you have in writing. Also, they must be in haiku."

"What the heck is haiku?" he asked monotonously as he pushed away her hand.

"Oy vey!" she shouted. She balled her hands into fists and placed them on her hips. "Do you live in a box or something'?"

"…" His eyes spoke for him, as his stare became more curious.

Rosette sighed once more. "Its Japanese poetry, but it doesn't have to rhyme. It can be about anything, and it's only three lines. 5-7-5." She stated simply. Chrono cocked his head in confusion. "5-7-5, five syllables in the first and last lines and the middle has seven syllables." Rosette looked at Chrono. Who, despite his 'Oh…' of understanding of what she had just said, had absolutely no idea of what she was talking about. _'Jeepers…This kid really DOES live in a box…'_ "Here's an example," Rosette cleared her throat after a moment of thinking.

"You live in a box,

You have long, weird, purple hair,

You're an idiot." She smirked at him.

Chrono's now fisted hands were trembling, a white-knot of rage growing in his abdomen. _'That two-bit freak, she has no idea of who she's dealing with…'_ Chrono started slightly when he felt a soft hand flop down onto the crown of his head. Rosette patted his head lightly, mussing his already messy hair, smiling to herself that she can make a hot-shot rock star become enraged at the simplicity of haiku. She moved her hand to cup his cheek. Chrono let out a small gasp when he breathed in her scent. _'Roses and… Strawberries… her hands are so soft and gentle…'_ Chrono let his eyes drift shut; he felt his cheeks flush as he was lost in Rosette; until he felt a sharp sting of pain. His eyes shot open to see Rosette smiling wickedly as she pinched and tugged Chrono's cheek harshly. "OWW! What're you doing?" He shouted—Rosette flicked him upside the head.

"Teaching you a lesson,"

"For what?" They heard a car honk twice outside. Chrono glanced out the window to see that his limo had arrived. "Finally!" he shouted, sounding quite relieved. He went to head for the door but was stopped when Rosette released his cheek and snagged his pointy ear. "ACK! Let go of me!" She tugged harder, pulling him dramatically closer.

"No way, you owe me big time." She said, grimacing at him. A chill ran down Chrono's spine, she's scary… "I want three all access backstage passes for your next concert."

"WHAT? I thought you said you didn't like my ba-" she tugged his ear harshly. "Is that all?" he complied as his limo driver honked again.

"NO WAY! I've got a golden opportunity between my fingers," she twisted his ear making him squirm and yelp. "And I plan on milking it for all its benefits. So," she let him go. "I'll see you on the eighteenth." She said maliciously, kindly opening the door for him. Chrono all but ran out, flying over the steps and into the car door with a loud _'thud!_' "Oh," she called after him; he barely turned his head to face her. "I'll be bringing my brother and his girlfriend with me, so be prepared for all of us. HE'S one of your fans."

Chrono sighed heavily, nodding his head 'yes' for her as he stepped into the limo. He looked out the black-tinted window and blushed brightly. As the car pulled away from her house, Rosette winked after him and blew him a two-fingered kiss that gradually turned into a 'V for victory' sign. He quickly turned away, shoving his hands between his legs, slouching over, bowing his head, and pushing his knees together, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"She seemed cute." said a voice from Chrono's left.

"Really cute!" squeaked another.

"Be quiet! She's anything but cute."

"Oh… boo hoo, Chrono. And here we are thinking that you FINALLY found Ms. Right." squeaked the girl in front of him. "Oh Genai, when do you think Chrono will wise up to the fairer sex?"

"Don't know, don't care."

"Quit, Shader. Chrono has to blossom on his own, you can't rush these things." came a sultry voice from beside Shader.

"Rizelle! All of you just leave me alone!" Shouted Chrono, more embarrassed than he had ever been in his entire life.

"So…" droned Genai. "What d'ya owe the kid for hiding you?"

"Three tickets to our next concert." said Chrono drearily.

"Oooh!" cooed Shader; her fake cat tail swaying back and forth. "Is she another fan?"

"No."

"Then why the heck does she want tickets?" asked Genai with an apathy.

"She wants to take her brother and his girlfriend."

"That's all she wants?" asked the large man, Viede, from his corner of the limo. "If it was any other of your fans, they would've been all over you."

"Yeah well, she said she wasn't through with me yet." _Beep! Beep! Beep!_ Just then Chrono's cell phone started to ring. "Hello? … How'd YOU get this number! … No, but— … Why should I? … That doesn't mean— … Alright fine." He hung up the phone. Chrono's five friends stared at him intently. "I guess… I'm taking her out to dinner now, too."

Shader cheered happily, Rizelle smiled evilly, Viede laughed quietly, Genai said "Feh!" as his only comment, and Aion, Chrono's best friend, put his hand on Chrono's shoulder, leaned close and said:

"C'est la vie!"

X

X

X

End Note: WHEEEE! Did you like? I wrote most of it over the summer, lost heart, and came back for the last couple of sentences, so I hope the ending was all right. Oh, and I SO need to put more into my profile, it's not funny. Anyway… I can't remember what else I was going to put down here… (tear). P.S.: 'C'est la vie' is French for 'That's life!'

Okay, next chapter previews:

… Azmaria and possibly Satella, that's all I can say (so sue, I haven't gotten very far in it). WAIT! THAT'S IT! Rosette and Chrono's Very. First. Date. (Bum-bum-BAAAA!) …It was supposed to be dramatic music. Tear..

Other fics that I'm (in the process of) writing!

1. **Chivalry Is Dead (dot) com**

GIANT anime cross over featuring: Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles (or Cardcaptors, which ever way you want to look at it), CHRONO CRUSADE, DNAngel, Fruits Basket, Inu-Yasha, Magic Knight Rayearth, .Hack/Legend of the Twilight, Tokyo Mew Mew, Teen Titans, Prétear, Escaflowne (the show), W.i.t.c.h., One Piece, and Shaman King. Yes, there ARE a lot of them, aren't there? A giant tournament held by a little girl who is obsessed with anime guys (sounds familiar, right?) and takes them to another dimension to fight for the loves of their lives. Pitting hot anime guys against even hotter anime guys. Will be categorized under MISC: ANIME CROSS OVERS. Sub-Note: Chivalry equals Bravery, the code of conduct for knights (I bet you love that, don'cha Casui?) Look for this one SOON (that, or click on my pen name, go to my profile and find it, it should be there).

2. **Romeo and Rosette**

A retelling of Romeo and Juliet with a Chrono Crusade twist.

… That's all I got so far on this one. And don't get your hopes up, I haven't even started it yet. Tear...

3. **Tofu Fairytales**

A collection of Teen Titan 'Fairytales' including such lovable characters as (you can guess who they really are, it's not that hard) The Tofu Knight, Robin Hood, and Iron E.

Includes multiple pairings, so everyone's happy! And I try to squeeze in every character there is, so far, I have (I think) 17 chapters planned out with a LOT more to come. Its got a lot of parody elements in it, so if you have any ideas, e-mail me.

… Or if you wanna talk, e-mail me. Please! I'm terribly lonely! All my 'friends' are leaving me, I'd KILL for someone to talk to! … Oookaaayyy… I'm even starting to scare myself. LOL --

There will be much, MUCH more, but I won't say them all in this chapter, I put little tidbits in later ones… maybe. OH, BTW, I see that a lot of the people on are Inu-Yasha fans, I HAVE IY FANFICS, read them, please! Like I said earlier, I take reviews VERY seriously.

Speaking of reviews, that reminds me of how many hits this story has so far, last time I checked—**108**. Like my pen name 'Black Rose **108**' ooh… scary… (shivers)

… Okay, I'm sick of listening to myself think, it hurts too much.

Toodles.


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Woe to me for not owning anything worth while…

Songs I don't own:

Hero

Sayonara Solitia

The Teapot song

**Author's Note:** I'M SORRY! You all have two reasons to hate me. 1. This chapter doesn't actually have R&C's date in it (sorry!) and 2. Chrono's only in this chapter at the very end, and has like six or less lines. I'm really, really sorry about this, even though I (sort of) promised to put the date in this chapter, it didn't really… fit. Here's my excuse—I mean 'explanation'. I don't have an outline for this story. I don't like to do outlines. I'll think of an idea, put some more thought into it, and viola! It becomes a fanfic. I'll know how it ends, (sometimes) how it starts, a little bit of the middle, and then it's to me to fill in the blanks. My process sucks, doesn't it? But not to worry, I've got the whole date thing all planned out, but more of that later, this chapter's long enough as it is. So Anyhoo (and don't ask about the title, it's REALLY random—I couldn't think of anything better), I present to you:

In The Life of a Rock Star Chapter 3:

Where's the rock star in all of this?

"_Hello?"_

"Hi Chrooonooooo!" chirped Rosette over the phone.

"_How'd YOU get this number!"_

"I took a peek at your cell phone while you weren't looking. But that's not the point. Are you doing anything the day before your concert?"

"_No, but—"_

"Well, now you're taking me out to dinner."

"_Why should I?"_

"Because I saved your butt from a swath of crazed fans."

"_That doesn't mean—"_

"Look bub, I can send you right back to the dogs (figuratively speaking), I know enough kids at school, and they'd be MORE than happy to comply."

"…_alright, fine,"_

"Perfect, bye-bye now!" She hung up the phone. "What a chump." She said sarcastically. Joshua came in the front door and smiled at his sister. "Buenas tardes hermano, ¿Cόmo estás? (They both take Spanish in school)"

"Yo sa-oy muy-i buenar, gray-c-ass."

"… You REALLY should study, you know."

"But studying is work." He whined. Rosette lifted an eyebrow at him. "I can't study with big sister because she's taking German. Therefore, its work" Rosette stared at him from a moment. Then she chucked a large sticky note pad at him, screaming:

"Does that blasted woman drag you through school by a collar!"

Joshua, barely avoiding the note pad, stuck his hand behind his head and laughed nervously. "Pretty much…" Rosette screamed, sighed, then flopped down in a chair. "Then I guess I shouldn't tell you the surprise, cuz that'd just delay your studying even more." She muttered under her breath.

"Hm?" he asked. "Whaddya say?"

"I said that if you don't study more, then I won't let you go to the Sinner's concert on Sunday." She declared haughtily.

"…But Rosette, I'm not going to that concert—they've been sold out for weeks now." Rosette grinned wickedly at him. "You didn't," said Joshua in disbelief. "YOU DID! Woohoo! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU Rosette!" yelled Joshua excitedly, running towards his sister, picking her up, and spinning her around until he was so dizzy that he collapsed with her still in his arms. By this time, Rosette was laughing just as hard as her brother.

"You know…" she said between breaths. "You get to take your girlfriend with you…"

He stared at her for a long moment, then squeezed the living daylights out of her—squeaking loudly like a preteen preppy who had just won the 'snob of the year' award and didn't know it was an insult.

"Joshua… can't… breathe." choked Rosette weakly.

"Sorry!" said Joshua, eyes bugging out, afraid that Rosette would revoke his concert privileges. Joshua stood up in a hurry, then, with a fire in his eye, he said "As thanks, I'm going to make you a feast tonight fit for a queen!"

"But you're a terrible cook." said Rosette uncertainly.

"For you, I'll summon six of the finest iron chef's that are stored within my mind to make the best dinner that you've ever had!" With that, he ran off into the kitchen and went straight to work. He fulfilled his promise to make Rosette dinner that night, and it was mush. But Rosette never said a word against it.

X

X

X

"ROSETTE CHRISTOPHER, WAKE UP THIS INSTANT!" screamed Miss Kate as she threw a ball point pen at Rosette, just like a dart, hitting her square in the forehead.

"Zzz… Mmm… Five more minutes Mommy…" she mumbled, nuzzling more snuggly into her folded arms. A vein popped on the teacher's head.

"I AM NOT YOUR MOMMY!" she screamed, trapping Rosette in a head lock with her arms twisted painfully in directions they're not supposed to bend.

"Owowowowowowo!" yelled Rosette in agony.

X

"Nasty old hag," she complained as she left room 12A, math. "I mean, honestly! Aren't there rules prohibiting teachers from using wrestling moves on students?"

"Probably not wrestling moves specifically." Sighed Anna, other than being pulverized by Miss Kate, they had both failed the pop quiz. "Please say we have music next."

"Please say we DON'T. I don't want the entire class gawking at me again."

"Well," started Mary as she trotted up to them. "You could just say that it was a fluke and that you're actually really terrible at singing."

"Or you could say that you have a sore throat." piped Claire. Rosette sighed, unable to make up her mind on what to do.

As they walked into the class room, they once again heard the music.

_And they say that a hero could save us,_

_I'm not going to stand here and wait._

_I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles_

_And watch as we all fly away._

"TURN IT OFF!" screamed Rosette. Once again the girls, and even some of the boys, protested against it. Rosette stomped over and yanked the plug from the wall. The music died immediately.

"Please be seated class." called Mr. Steiner as he walked into the room, late as usual. "Now, I would like to bring your attention to our school's upcoming play—Romeo and Juliet!" The class groaned miserably. "Oh come on," the teacher begged. "It's not THAT bad. Ladies, don't you like kissing guys?" Half the girls blushed; most likely thinking about their boyfriend or latest crush. The other half stuck their tongue out in disgust like they were gagging, Rosette included. "Fine," said Mr. Steiner as he dropped the stack of flyers for auditions loudly on his podium. "Then, Miss Christopher," he turned to Rosette who still had her tongue out and was actually choking on a hair. "I guess you wouldn't mind singing a solo for us?" Rosette choked even louder.

"WHAT?"

"Solo—You—NOW."

"B-b-b-b-"

"No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Now sing, and make it in Japanese."

"What makes you think I know any Japanese?" she asked coldly.

"Isn't that a Puffy AmiYumi sticker on your binder?" Rosette looked down at her binder and muttered a short swear, cursing her love of foreign pop artists.

"How do you know that isn't my brother's, and that he just stuck it on my binder to annoy me? She asked slyly.

"I wouldn't put it past him…" muttered Steiner. He cleared his throat. "Just sing, Miss Christopher."

"Fine…" she thought for moment, took a deep breath, and sung one of her favorite songs.

_daisuki to omou kara ne_

_kizutsuitari tomadottari_

_tsumetai hoho wo yose atte kokoro ga umareta_

_itsumo ima sugu ni aitai_

_mukuchi ni naru hodo suki yo_

_yasashisa doushitara mieru no_

_dakishimete motto tsuyoku_

_atatakana mune wo shinjiru yo_

_sayonara solitia ashita e_

The class applauded her song loudly. "Way to go, Rosette!" cheered Anna.

"It's not THAT big of a deal…" mumbled Rosette.

"Rosette," shouted one of the other kids. "Isn't that the ending theme for that show we were talking about yesterday?"

"You mean the one that was—"

"DON'T EVEN START!" yelled Rosette, but unfortunately, the other kids carried on their pointless conversations for the rest of the period.

X

"Alright, students," said the Dean of Students, Dr. Deckard. "From here on out, you will have a new teacher for your PESS class."

"What happened to our old teacher?"

"Mr. Lerajie had to… err, retire. Due to special circumstances and a few, let's just say, less than cooperative students." The dean cast an icy glare towards Rosette, who really could care less what happened to Lerajie. _Frankly, _she thought, tilting dangerously back in her chair. _That weirdo deserved retirement. He was mean, strict, and his sense of humor really sucked._ "Instead, your new teacher will be an Ivy League college graduate, with her bachelor's and master's degree; she also majored in high school education, physics, advanced mathematics, the fine arts, and musical theory. So as you can see, she is more than qualified to teach this class. Now, please give a warm welcome to your new science teacher, Miss Hendric." Deckard was the sole person clapping when in walked a twelve year old girl with long pinkish-silvery hair and red eyes dressed in a pink, white, and gold dress. "I'll let you bond with your class now." said Deckard as he slinked out the door. He didn't want to be around when the class got started.

"Alrighty class," chirped the small girl. "If you will please open you textbooks to page 119, we will begin today's lesson with—"

"Hey, kid!" shouted one of the boys. "Where's your mommy? SHE'S the one who's supposed to be teaching this class."

"Young man," she started, turning to address the boy.

"My name's Billy." He said haughtily.

"William,"

"BILLY."

"I'll call you whatever I want, this is MY cla—"

"B-I-L-L-Y. I thought the old geezer said you were smart. How smart can you be if you can't even get my name right?" this witticism brought the class into an uproar. Miss Hendric tried to calm them down, but each of her attempts only fueled their laughter.

As the bell rang for the end of the class period, Miss Hendric shouted out the door to all her students "Read chapter five for homework and take notes! Please do problems 1-5, we'll go over them in class tomorrow!" the students laughed again, it was clear that she wouldn't have a moment of peace. Miss Hendric slumped down into her roller chair as the remainder of her class filed out of the room. Rosette glanced at her on her way out without a word. She thought to herself how crazy this kid must be to think that she can teach high school.

X

English—Rosette's favorite class. She was terrible at memorizing grammar and writing multi-paragraph essays, but she always looked foreword to the class, because of her teacher—Mr. Ewan Remington. Rosette sighed, just thinking about him. His gorgeous eyes, that dreamy smile, the way his words flowed when he recited poetry to the class. Rosette could barely keep from jumping up and down when she entered room 184B. There he was, sitting on his desk next to the door with his legs crossed, smiling at the teenagers as the entered. Rosette returned his smile, trying not to blush as she did so. She took her seat, taking in the extravagance of the room just as she does every day.

Not only was her teacher to die for, but his room was simply wonderful. A wind chime hung from the ceiling, gently clinking soft melodies by the ever-open-window. Christmas lights hung year round and would always be turned on during dark or rainy days. On Mr. Remington's desk sat countless figurines and crosses that students had given him over the years. And in the back of the classroom, was the wall of wonder. The place where Remington put up every picture, poem, and card he'd received from students. _'Yes,'_ thought Rosette. _'Some may find it weird, but I think it's wonderful.'_

English class zipped by, and Rosette forgot all her troubles, lost in the wonders of Ewan Remington. _'If only,'_ she mused. _'That Chrono dork could be as exciting as Mr. Remington.'_ For the umpteenth time that day, Rosette sighed at the thought of her English teacher.

X

She'd give anything to be back in English class right about now. Mr. Gilliam blew his whistle, shouting "IS THAT ALL YOU GOT? 10 MORE LAPS, NOW!" he blew his whistle again, and the gym class picked up its pace, running around the track. Rosette didn't really hate P.E., it's just that… Something almost ALWAYS happened. She didn't MEAN to elbow that boy, or trip that girl. It wasn't HER fault that three kids were sent to the nurse's office. She doesn't have any harm in mind when the class starts, it's just that she's "naturally competitive"… And she has some anger issues. But today, no, today they were just running laps. Nothing bad was going to happen today.

X

"Every day," said Dr. Deckard, rubbing his temples. "Something happens EVERY DAY." Rosette shifted uncomfortably in her seat, trying to avoid the Dean's gaze. "You're lucky that's only the FOURTH tooth Mr. Valerie's lost to you in several months. If they were anything but baby teeth, his parents might sue for the cost of braces." He sighed. "What am I going to do with you, Rosette?" Rosette shrugged. The Dean sighed again and flopped back in his chair. "Detention, Friday. Anymore 'incidents' this week, and it'll be a Saturday school. Understand?"

"Yes sir…" Rosette stood up to leave, turning when the Dean spoke again.

"And don't be late tomorrow, got it?" she nodded and headed out the door. He hated it when she was late for detentions. When she had left, the Dean uttered a short prayer. "Please, PLEASE, Lord. Don't let her be late."

X

X

X

"I'M LATE, I'M LATE, I'M LATE!" screamed Rosette, the next day, scurrying down the stairs and into the kitchen. When she got down, Joshua was already heading out the door. "JOSHUA! What time does your watch have?"

"7:20." He said. Rosette sighed heavily and fell into a chair.

"Leaving early, huh?" she asked, addressing her brother.

"Uhh…"

"No, no, don't let me stop you. You probably want to see 'Big Sister' early today. Go on, shoo." Without getting up, she ushered her brother out the door, a worried expression on his face. Rosette leisurely got up and shuffled to the cabinet to get out some cereal. While reaching for her Fruit Loops, she spotted Joshua's newest favorite cereal; Chron-O's. She had to look twice to make sure that she was seeing what was blatantly in front of her. She picked up the box and read the mini-slogan on the front.

'_The hard rockin' cereal with all your favorite sinners as marshmallows and whole grain guitar pieces! Pour milk in, and the Chron-O's turn your milk Purple!'_

"……………………………………………………………………………………………"

She honestly didn't know what to think. She of course thought that it was possibly the worst product that fat-cat marketers had ever come up with, that the mere name of the cereal brand was beyond absurd, and that the product was one of the shallowest things that she'd ever witnessed. But it wasn't THAT that she didn't know what to think. It was more like, should she be more disgusted or feel violated, or a subtle mix between the two?

Between her ponderings, she looked up at the clock hanging on the wall. 7:25.

"7:25," she muttered. "…25…" she nodded her head. Then it hit her. "7:25!" she screamed. Racing to the table by the door where she had left her books, backpack, and coat the previous night. She grabbed her belongings and raced out the door, nearly flying to the bus stop. When Rosette caught sight of her stop, the bus had just pulled up. "NO, STOP! DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT ME! HEY, STOP!" she screamed at it, praying with all her might to let it stay just a few seconds longer. Luckily, her prayers were heard. The driver, knowing Rosette to be late on more than one occasion, kept the bus at a standstill long enough for her to board.

"Thank… Thank you…" she gasped, breathing heavily as she passed the driver on her way to her seat. He smiled at her patiently and then started the bus in motion again. Rosette found her brother and flopped down beside him.

"I'm glad you made it, Rosette. When you didn't leave when I did, I started to worry an—" he was cut off by Rosette's hands wrapping around his neck.

"Jo…Shu…A…" she growled at him. Then, her anger burst all at once and her furious gaze sharply rose to meet his eyes. She started yanking him back and forth in her grasp, literally choking him; her hands squeezed tighter every minute. "JOSHUA YOU NO GOOD SON OF A BITCH! HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME THERE LIKE THAT? HAVE YOU NO RESPECT FOR YOUR SISTER?"

"But Rosette!" he protested. "I told you the time! It's YOUR fault you didn't leave!"

"LIAR! I KNOW YOUR WATCH IS TEN MINUTES FAST! YOU CAN'T PULL A FAST ONE ON ME!"

"But I told you that I fixed my watch last night! I told you SEVERAL times that it has the correct time now!"

"YOU DID NOT, LIAR!"

"Yes I did!"

"DID NOT!"

"Did too!"

"DID NO—" she stopped, instantly dropping her hold on Joshua (who gratefully rubbed his neck when she did so). "Oh no," she started nervously rifling through her belongings, searching for something. "Oh no… Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no!" she shrieked. She threw her arms up into the air and started waving them madly, simultaneously kicking her feet all about. "WAHH!" she cried out. "I left my textbooks at home!" her erratic movements ceased, and her cries turned to sobs. "I haven't down my homework I needed them for yet! How could I forget them? I even looked at them when I was putting on my coat and thought 'I'm not going to forget my books'!" she cried even harder. Joshua padded her on the back, trying to calm her down.

"Don't worry; nothing's impossible for Big Sister."

Rosette stopped her lamenting for a moment. "Did… Did you just call me 'Big Sister'?" she asked hopefully.

"No, I mean you can ask Big Sister to do it for you—she's practically a genius!"

"JOSHUA!"

X

"Y hoy clase, vamos a repasar los verbos con el pretérito. Y también…" Rosette was totally zoning out. For the first time, she didn't have the will to listen Señor Ricardo today. Her mind was swirling with possible punishments she was going to receive from Miss Kate and Mrs. Grace for not doing her homework.

'_Why THEIR classes? Why couldn't have been my English book that I forgot? Mr. Remington would understand. But no, it HAD to be geometry and global history, my two most strict teachers, and now they're going to KILL me…"_

X

"Alright, now students, take out your textbooks and turn to page 146, label the maps on the handout given to you and turn them in at the end of class. Anyone who does not turn theirs in completed will receive a zero." said Mrs. Grace. "This is a 50 point assignment, you may get started now."

Rosette groaned—it was going to be a VERY, long day.

X

"Please take out your homework and trade and grade with someone around you. This is worth 5 points."

"Um… Miss Kate?" asked Rosette timidly.

"Yes, Miss Christopher?"

"I, uh… Don't have my homework."

"… Do you at least have your book with you? Today's a study day for the chapter 4 test tomorrow, and I'm also letting you all have time in class to start on tonight's homework."

Rosette shook her head.

"So… are you just going to sit there for the entirety of the class period and do nothing?"

Rosette shrugged halfheartedly.

The pencil that Miss Kate had been holding in her balled fist snapped in half. "MISS CHRISTOPHER, DO YOU EVER TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ACTIONS? DOESN'T IT BOTHER YOU IN THE SLIGHTEST THAT WHAT YOU DO CAN SERIOUSLY AFFECT OTHERS?"

"No ma'am, I mean yes ma'am, I mean, OWOWOWOWOWOWOW!" Miss Kate had wrapped her into another painful headlock.

"YOU'LL BE THE DEATH OF ME, ROSETTE CHRISTOPHER!"

"You'll be the death of ME, Miss Kate! OWOWOW!"

X

"Are you okay, Rosette?" asked Anna.

"Oh yeah, sure… My head's ALWAYS tilted at a 20˚ angle." said Rosette sarcastically; her head, after so much abuse from Miss Kate, was now temporarily stuck tilted at a 20˚ angle.

"I can fix that!" squeaked Mary. "Here, lean foreword," Rosette, compensating for the height difference between her and Mary, obliged. Mary put her hands on either side of Rosette's head. "Now, this might hurt a little. Oh, what am I saying, 'a little'?"

"Wait a minute, what—" But before Rosette could form a full protest, Mary jerked her head left, right, and foreword, all in less than three seconds. _CRACK!_ "OWWW!" screamed Rosette.

"Feel better?"

"BETTER! How could I possibly feel—" she twitched her neck slightly. "Actually… I've never felt better. How'd you do that, Mary?"

"Mary," said Claire. "The future chiropractor." The girls applauded her as she took a small bow.

The girls continued their giggly mood right up until they opened the door to the music room. That's when the rest of the day came flooding back to Rosette.

_I am so high, I can hear heaven_

_I am so high, I can hear heaven_

_Whoa, but heaven...no, heaven don't hear me_

Without even asking them to turn off the music this time, Rosette slowly walked over to the radio, yanked it away, pulling the cord from the wall, and threw it out the window, grinning evilly as it smashed on the parking lot ground two stories below. The other kids didn't say anything, they just stared mouths hung wide open. Rosette took her seat as Mr. Steiner walked into the room.

"Now class, what would you all like to do today? Unfortunately, I left my class plans at home today. So since its Friday, you all can decide what we'll do." Not to Rosette's surprise, they all shouted 'Solo!' "Alright, Rosette, would you please sing for us again today?" asked the teacher.

"Why should I?"

"Because we told you to!" shouted Billy. "24 to 1, Rosette, now SING!" he ordered arrogantly.

"Alright," said Rosette slyly, standing up and moving in front of Billy's seat. "I'll sing…"

_I'm a little teapot,_

_Short and stout_

_Here is my fist_

_And there is your face!_

X

"Didn't I ask you not to have any more incidents this week? Didn't I?" Rosette was once again back in Dr. Deckard's office. He was massaging his temples slowly as Rosette nodded her head miserably in response to all his questions. "How could you just punch a student in the middle of class like that? It wasn't even in physical education like it normally is. What AM I going to do with you?" Rosette shrugged. Deckard sighed. "I'm afraid that I'm going to have to suspend you this time."

"What!" yelled Rosette. "I'm just having a bad day, that's all. I'll be good, I promise!"

"Do you know how many times you've promised that?"

"Please don't, I'm begging you!"

"I'm sorry, but I have to, it's school rules." Rosette gave him the puppy dog face. "Rosette," he said sternly. "I'm sorry, but I have to call you legal guardian and tell them, too."

Rosette's hopeless situation seemed to bubble away in an instant. "Oh no," she said in a fake plead, hoping it wouldn't sound any different than her previous tone to Deckard. "Please don't call my guardian."

"It's no use, I've made up my mind." He flipped through a box filled with note cards until he found one that had 'CHRISTOPHER, Rosette' printed at the top. He picked up the phone and dialed a number from the card. "…Hello, Ms. Harvenheit?" Rosette snickered quietly. "This is Dr. Deckard, Dean of Students at Seventh bell High School. I need to inform you that Rosette has been having some… issues at school … Well, first of all, in physical education, she's injured more than a few students … Yes, they WERE all unintentional, but … She's also damaged countless articles of school property, and just an hour ago she INTENTIONALLY punched a student in the middle of class. Now, school rules dictate that she be suspended. Rules also say that I inform you of it and… Yes ma'am, I'm sure this is the proper punishment for her … No I don't know how much you contribute… Oh…" Deckard swallowed hard, Rosette's smile widened. "I see… NO! I'm not saying you're a bad role model, I'm just … Yes ma'am, I will ma'am… very well. Rosette, Ms. Harvenheit would like to talk to you." Deckard handed the phone to Rosette, who gladly took it.

"Hello?"

"_Guten tag, Rosette! How are you?"_

"Oh, I'm fine."

"_I got you off the hook for the most part; now try to behave, alright?"_

"Yes ma'am, but…What did you tell Deckard?"

"_Oh…I just mentioned his paycheck…and not having it."_ The girls both laughed. Over in his corner, Deckard didn't seem to find the prospect of being fired quite as funny._ "I have a surprise for you and Joshua—I'm coming home in three weeks"_

"Really? That's great!"

"_Now, I'll see you in a little bit. Please hand the phone back to the Dean—I still need to work out a few things with him."_

"Bye Satella and Thanks!" Rosette handed the phone back to Deckard.

He placed his hand over the receiver for a moment and said "You still have a Saturday school, be here tomorrow at three P.M. sharp. Got it?" Rosette nodded and headed for the door. As she was leaving, she could hear Satella yelling at Deckard from over the phone.

She closed the door and headed for the cafeteria. With all the waiting and arguing she had just gone through, she had missed several class periods. Outside the cafeteria, Rosette reached for her cell phone. _'Even if it is JUST a Saturday school, it still interferes with my plans.'_ She dialed the number and listened as the phone on the other end of the line rang.

"_Hello?"_ asked the sweet voice from the other side.

"Hi Chrono!" she chirped at the young boy.

"_Ugh…Not YOU again…"_

"Yes me. Now, about taking me to dinner on Saturday, I, uh… have to postpone." She could've sworn that on the other end, Chrono uttered a small cheer. "Something came up, so, could we do it on Sunday after your concert instead?"

"…"

"Is that a yes?" she asked irritably.

X

"Fine…" said Chrono. He hung up his phone. Shader looked at him expectantly. "What?"

"Was that Rosette?" she asked sweetly.

Chrono groaned. "Yes…"

"Yay!"

X

X

X

**End Note:** Chapter 3… It's… finally… over… (sighs). That was the longest ANYTHING that I've ever written—a little over 12 pages, single spaced, NOT including author's notes. Alright, back to my screwed up writing process. There are only a small number of blanks I have left to fill in for this story—I'm getting into the parts I've already worked out, now. And never fear! I've already started the next chapter, so (school and homework permitting) I should have that one up within a week (or less).

Anyhoo, I hope you liked this chapter even though… Yeah. Oh, don't ask about 'Chron-O's' that was just a random idea I had while writing. Keep in mind, I wrote the other 3 parts of this story over the summer and then lost heart. This is the most recent stuff I've done, so if it seems different, well, now you know why. I hope it's still as good, though… And appreciate this one; I worked through my holiday break to get it done (mostly because my family stayed home for Thanksgiving this year). Which reminds me,

HAPPY (late) THANKSGIVING! YAY!

Now, must finish chapter 2 and get that up. So close, yet so far from being finished…

Toodles. :)

(P.S.: Like I said, the next one will be up REALLY soon, so keep an eye out. And if you have any ideas for songs that the Sinners could sing, tell me, please. Only have a handful so far, and they're not very good. Ideas are ALWAYS welcomed. Please R&R! And (dare I say it? Yes, I dare) Thank you, come again!)

I am SO random… :)


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** SPAZ! I was so caught up in the last chapter that I forgot to spotlight someone. (tear…) So this time, I'll spotlight not one person, but TWO! … I'm starting to sound like a game show host, aren't I? Anyway, **Solitia Denma Yamen**, you're up first! I'm so glad you're rooting for me, no one's ever done (and told me) that before. And 'sugoi', I looked it up. By definition, 'sugoi' is Japanese for "wonderful, amazing". YAY! You like me, you really li—hey… what's this? A SECOND DEFENITION? "Awful, terrifying"… I have to go cry now… And BTW, I love your evil laugh. Next, **suzako**! Who asked whether or not Rosette loved Daisuke…um, yeah…He has a cameo in a later chapter but as a spoiler, no. She doesn't. That WAS kind of confusing, wasn't it? And thanks to the rest of you who read and review my story(s). I take reviews very seriously and if any of you have ANY ideas for _ITLOARS_ (I abbreviated the title) I'd be more than happy to hear them, and they'll most likely end up in the story (It's those darn 'blanks' that I mentioned early that I need help with).

Anyhoo, a little about this chapter, ALLELUIA! It's done! Mwa ha ha ha…! I thought I'd never get it done… YAY! OH NO! I'm sorry, this doesn't have their date in it… technically it's just dinner. Eh heh heh… Their 'first date' is in a later chapter (bare with me, I'm phrasing it as such because the later chapter's title is in haiku, and the words 'first date' are necessary for it!). But for all intents and purposes, it IS their date, just don't call it their 'first date', 'kay? (wink, wink)

Also, as for how this chapter starts, If you've ever heard of a series called Prétear, than HOORAY! If not, oh well… But when I started writing this chapter, I had just finished watching the Prétear series and it had a lot of the same voice actors as Chrono Crusade, so naturally, I couldn't resist. But basically, this all you need to know:

Himeno is the heroine

Hayate is Himeno's boyfriend

Sasame has the same voice actor as Joshua

Hajime has the same voice actress as Rosette

Mannen is annoying

ENJOY:) (And sorry about the title, again, I couldn't think of anything better. Tear…)

**Disclaimer:** (Tear)… not Prétear, not Chrono, not any of the songs or characters in here either…

In The Life of a Rock Star Chapter 4:

Dinner with a Rock Star

"_Hayate, Preat with me!"_

"_Himeno, you could die!"_

"_I don't care!"_

"Joshua, what on earth are you watching?" asked Rosette irritably. Her brother paused his DVD and turned to look at her. Tears were streaming down his cheeks and his eyes were all red and puffy.

"IT'S SO SAD ROSETTE!" he wailed.

"What're you talking about?"

"Himeno, sh-she's trying to save—and Hayate won't—SASAME'S DEAD!" Rosette smacked him upside the head.

"JOSHUA, it's just a show, get over it!"

"But— But— But—"

"I SAID GET OVER IT!"

"…"

"…"

"You're so mean, Rosette. This is why I like Big Sister better."

"WHAT'D YOU SAY?"

"Aiee! Nothing, it was nothing! Please don't kill me!"

"You could only be so lucky!" Rosette charged toward Joshua who jumped up and ran away as fast as he could.

"Isn't this fun?" asked Joshua half panicked and half amused as his sister chased him round and around the sofa. "You always make believe you're trying to kill me!" he laughed at Rosette's disgruntled expression.

"Oh, I'll play make-believe—I'll make believe that you're Sasame!"

"EEK!"

"Get back here!"

"You sound like Hajime, but you act like Mannen!"

"I'LL 'MANNEN' YOU!"

X

X

X

"Rosette, are you sure you want to do this?" asked Anna nervously.

"I'll be fine."

"But Rosette," said Mary. "You're not that good an—"

"I said I'll be fine." said Rosette, slightly irritated.

"You could just walk, it would be faster." stated Claire in her sweet voice.

"LOOK," shouted Rosette, leaning out the window of her used car. "It's New York, I can't go faster than 20 mph, I'm not going to crash."

"But," protested Mary. "Something almost always happens. We just don't want you to crash… again."

"Argh! Just… Leave it alone, okay? Whenever someone tells me that something almost always happens, it DOES. So just wish me luck and tell yourselves that I'm not going to crash. Alright?"

"But…"

"ALRIGHT?"

"Okay… Bye Rosette, try not to kill yourself."

"Thank you… I think." Rosette started her old Toyota down the driveway. Her friends had come to her house to see her off to Saturday school, though Rosette wished they hadn't. Every time her friends see her behind the wheel, the always get fussy. "I'll be fine, I promise."

"ROSETTE, LOOK OUT!" screamed Anna as Rosette almost backed into a passing car. She slammed on the brakes so hard that she was forced foreword into the steering wheel. It was a miracle that the airbag didn't pop out. Anna waved nervously at Rosette. "Eh heh… Good luck?"

Rosette growled at her as she, checking behind her first this time, drove onto the street. She sighed before turning to her friends one last time to say "Just go home, okay?" They nodded uncertainly. A loud honk from behind her told Rosette to start moving. "I'M GOING, I'M GOING, JERK!" she screamed back at the car behind her who continued to honk at her.

As Rosette slowly drove away, her friends continued to wave 'goodbye'. "Think she'll be alright?" asked Claire.

"No." said Anna.

X

Rosette, somehow managing to drive to school safely, took her seat in the detention room and waited for the teacher. After a few minutes, Miss Hendric walked into the room. "Umm… Is this the detention room?" she asked meekly as she entered. Rosette nodded. "Thank goodness, I'm still getting used to this huge building."

"It's about a quarter mile long." said Rosette unenthusiastically. It was going to be a LONG Saturday.

Over the course of the five hour detention, other students started to gradually come in. Miss Hendric attempted to yell at them for being late, of course. But the teenagers could care less what a twelve year old told them. Probably the only interesting thing that happens in a Saturday school is the gossiping. Unfortunately, the kids only seemed to talk about the Sinners' newest song release. Of course there was one other rumor that started circulating that Rosette hoped very much wasn't true. Apparently someone had seen Mr. Remington flirting with Miss Kate. Rosette shuttered at the thought. _'Just plain WRONG…'_ she thought.

X

"It's Sunday, it's Sunday, it's Sunday!" shouted Joshua gleefully. "Do you have the tickets Rosette, do you, do you, do you?" he asked jumping up and down.

"Yes, yes, yes!" shouted Rosette tiredly. She showed him the three tickets that Chrono's limo driver had delivered yesterday to satisfy him. Rosette shuttered remembering the driver. What a perverted old man… She hoped to never see him again. "Joshua, where's your girlfriend? We're leaving soon." There was a knock at the door. _'Speak of the devil…'_ thought Rosette. She really wished that she didn't have to go to the concert; Joshua had already worn her out with all his hyperactive antics. But he needed to be chaperoned, and Rosette didn't trust anyone else to do it. Besides, she gets to go out to an ultra-fancy restaurant afterwards—all expenses paid. She grinned at the thought of a free all-you-can-eat-buffet at one of the nicest places in New York.

"We're ready Rosette." said Joshua, pulling her away from her daydream. Rosette gasped seeing her brother and his girlfriend standing side by side. Fiore was wearing what would be considered a very cute or a very disgraceful maid's outfit. Next to her, Joshua was wearing an all black shirt, pant, windbreaker combo. Rosette sighed. _'I didn't know it was a GOTH concert.'_ Almost like reading her mind, Joshua justified their costumes. "It's not what you're thinking, Rosette. Sometimes, they pick people with the coolest outfits to come on stage. And I know Big Sister will win this time, isn't her costume adorable?"

"A tad skimpy, I'd say…" mumbled Rosette.

"Hm?"

"Nothing," she said quickly. "Let's go." Rosette went to grab her car keys, but Joshua rushed over and snatched them away. "HEY! What're you doing?"

Joshua laughed a little. "I think I'LL drive this time."

"You have your temps, I have my license."

"No offense, but I'd rather Big Sister stayed alive long enough to die of old age."

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?"

"…" Without answering, Joshua grabbed Fiore's hand and dashed out the front door to the car.

"HEY! Wait for me!" screamed Rosette as she grabbed her bag, closed and locked the door behind her, and finally ran up to the car; banging on the window and yelling at Joshua to unlock the door so she could get in. Joshua silently laughed at her from behind the safety of the locked car door. _'You think that's funny, do you?'_ she thought wickedly as she punched in the code on the side door to unlock it (yes, their car is THAT old…). Joshua wasn't laughing anymore when Rosette pulled open the door and dragged him out by his shirt collar, torturing him as she does on many occasions. "YOU THINK THAT'S FUNNY? I'LL SHOW YOU FUNNY!" she screamed as she shook him with all her might. Fiore, still sitting in the car, gasped and politely asked Rosette to stop her 'inappropriate behavior'.

"We're going to be late, Rosette. OWOWOW!" yelled Joshua as Rosette used her 'super noogie attack' on him.

"I DON'T CARE!"

X

After Rosette had calmed down and let Joshua drive them to the concert, they actually arrived in time, and somehow got good 'seats' up close to the stage. Rosette groaned in disbelief; there weren't any actual seats, they had to stand, in the MUD. Although, Joshua was extremely enthusiastic about this fact, he said it "increased their chances of getting picked to come on stage." Rosette could care less.

Within a half hour, the lights dimmed and the crowd went wild. Guitars started to play and Joshua began to scream like a lunatic. "It's their newest song!" he shouted excitedly to Rosette. Even Fiore seemed overjoyed at this. That's when Rosette heard the unmistakable voice of the midget lead singer.

_I walk a lonely road_

_The only one I that have ever known_

_Don't know were it goes_

_But its home to me and I walk alone_

"WE LOVE YOU CHRONOOOO!" screamed his adoring fans. Rosette could've sworn that she saw a grin spread across Chrono's face when he heard his fan girls.

_I walk this empty street_

_On the Boulevard of broken dreams_

_Where the city sleeps_

_And I'm the only one and I walk alone_

'Yeah right… ALONE,' thought Rosette. 'It's just you, your band, and your millions of dollars.'

_I walk alone_

_I walk alone_

_I walk alone_

_I walk a..._

_My shadow's the only one that walks beside me_

_My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating_

_Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me_

_Till then I walk alone_

His fans continued to scream their love of him.

_Ah-Ah Ah-Ah Ah-Ah Ahhh_

_Ah Ah-Ah Ah-Ah Ah-Ah_

_I'm walking down the line_

_That divides me somewhere in my mind_

_On the border line of the edge_

_And were I walk alone_

"WE'LL WALK WITH YOU, CHRONO!" shouted the fan girls. Rosette gave a small "ugh" of disgust.

_Read between the lines of what's_

_Fucked up and every things all right_

_Check my vital signs to know I'm still alive_

_And I walk alone_

_I walk alone_

_I walk alone_

_I walk alone_

_I walk a..._

_My shadow's the only one that walks beside me_

_My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating_

_Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me_

_Till then I walk alone_

"YOU'RE NOT ALONE WITH US, CHRONO!" Rosette was tempted to scream at the fan girls to shut the hell up.

_Ah-Ah Ah-Ah Ah-Ah Ahhh_

_Ah Ah-Ah Ah-Ah_

_I walk alone_

_I walk a..._

The fans got to their loudest during the guitar solo. By now, Rosette had a throbbing headache.

_I walk this empty street_

_On the Boulevard of broken dreams_

_Were the city sleeps_

_And I'm the only one and I walk a..._

_My shadow's the only one that walks beside me_

_My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating_

_Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me_

_Till then I'll walk alone!_

When the music at last died, the fans went crazy(er). Of course, Chrono and the band did the usual "thank you" and "you're too kind".

Their next song really got Rosette worked up, and not in the way Joshua and the rest of the fans were. Right from the moment the drums started their rolling, Rosette had a small scowl on her face.

_I am so high, I can hear heaven_

_I am so high, I can hear heaven_

_Whoa, but heaven...no, heaven don't hear me_

Rosette remembered turning the radio off.

_And they say_

_That a hero could save us_

_I'm not gonna stand here and wait_

_I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles_

_Watch as we all fly away_

She remembered unplugging the radio.

_Someone told me_

_Love would all save us_

_But, how can that be_

_Look what love gave us_

And she remembered throwing the damn radio out the window. Oh, how she wished she could throw the band out a window, that'd solve ALL her problems…

_A world full of killing_

_And blood spilling_

_That world never came_

'Gruesome…' thought Rosette. 'Come to think of it, I've never heard this song all the way through before.'

_And they say_

_That a hero could save us_

_I'm not gonna stand here and wait_

_I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles_

_Watch as we all fly away_

_Ahh..._

_Now that the world isn't ending_

_It's love that I'm sending to you_

_It isn't the love of a hero_

_And that's why I fear it won't do_

Rosette, if only for a second, was lost in the music. Suddenly, all the fans and hype made sense. Suddenly, she understood why so many girls fell head over heels for Chrono. Suddenly—suddenly she realized what she was realizing and shook her head roughly to rid herself of the 'evil' thoughts closing in on her.

_And they say_

_That a hero could save us_

_I'm not gonna stand here and wait_

_I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles_

_Watch as we all fly away_

She tried to tell herself that she hated rock stars.

_And they're watching us_

_They're watching us_

_As we all fly away_

She tried to tell herself that she didn't like Chrono, at all.

_And they're watching us_

_They're watching us_

_As we all fly away_

She tried to—

_And they're watching us_

_They're watching us_

_As we all fly away_

Her headache had turned into a killer migraine.

_Whoa..._

The fans went crazy again. So when the band started playing 'Highway to Hell', Rosette slinked away backstage. She had the pass, she was allowed. She waited there for an entire four songs, listening to the faint melodies coming from the stage. When she looked at her watch, it was already past eight. She glanced down at the bag that she had brought along. _'Might as well…'_ she thought.

X

By the time the concert ended, it was already nine o'clock. Chrono came bursting into the mini-common room with the rest of his band.

"Wasn't that like the best concert we've ever had?"

"You say that about ALL our concerts, Shader."

"A toast," said Genai. "To Shader's 'best concert ever'."

"…" Chrono stared at him for a moment. "Genai, where'd you get that champagne?"

Genai looked at the bottle. "I'm not sure…" The others laughed.

"While you're at it, pour me a glass, will ya?" said Aion.

"All in favor of booze, say 'I'."

"I!" shouted the band, except for Chrono.

"Being a good little boy, Chrono?" asked Shader.

"Two more years…"

"Until what?"

"Until I only have three years left to legally drink."

"You'll drink when you're eighteen, but not now?" he nodded. "… You're insane. Champagne is the best!" cheered Shader with rosy cheeks as she chugged her glass full. There was a knock on the door. "(hic) Who is it?" called Shader. Huh… It doesn't take much for her to get drunk, does it?

Joshua came bursting through the door, dragging along Fiore. "WOW!" he shouted, marveling at the six singers. "It's you, it's really you! I'm finally meeting you! This is the happiest day of my life!"

"Who's the kid?" asked Genai, slightly annoyed.

"He's kinda cute." said Shader, still drunk.

"Hey," started Chrono. "Are you that weird girl's brother?"

"Sure am!" said Joshua proudly. He paused, looking around the room. "Where is Rosette?" Just then, Rosette came in, wearing a formal, strapless dress. It was scarlet with faux diamonds and embroidered roses lining the bottom hem; a silk sash was sewn across the waist. Chrono stared at her for more than a few moments until she cleared her throat and said

"It's rude to stare." He shook his head, snapping out of his momentary trance.

"Why are you wearing that?" he asked, his cheeks were flushed a light rose. Rosette blew out her cheeks, somewhat upset that he'd forgotten. Genai nudged Chrono with his elbow.

"Ask not why the bird sings," he said. "Just know it sings for you." Chrono's blush turned a darker shade.

"What's THAT supposed to mean?"

"It means: go along with it, you've got a real catch, hook line and sinker!" Chrono attempted to hit Genai in the face with his elbow, but forgot about the obvious height difference. So the resulting affect was his arm hitting Genai (quite softly) in the stomach. Barely fazed by it, Genai ground his knuckles into Chrono's skull as a counter attack. It didn't take long for them to forget that Rosette was standing in front of them. But the common room and the people in it came back to them when Rosette cleared her throat again, making them realize that everyone (except for Shader who was doing a drunken dance) was staring at them.

"Uh… L-let's go!" he stuttered as he grabbed Rosette's hand, pulled her out the door, and down the hall in one fluid motion.

Genai yelled after them something that sounded very close to a kissing noise. Chrono turned around sharply and threw a semi-hard piece of his costume at him, missing only by a few inches. "SHUT UP!" he screamed.

X

After the time it took Chrono to change out of his costume for the concert and get on their way to the restaurant, it was well past nine thirty. The roomy back seat of the limo seemed bigger than it should have in the absence of any noises except the car itself in motion. As the car slowly made its way down Fifth Avenue, the street lights streamed in and out of the dark car, making Rosette's headache all the worse.

"Not talking, huh?" she asked to break the silence. Chrono didn't say anything; he just scooted closer to the car door and slumped into a more comfortable seated position. "…" Rosette turned away from him. _'Why am I so annoyed?'_ she asked herself. _'It's not like he likes me, but would it kill him to say something, anything?'_ Rosette blew out her cheeks, hoping to get the boy's attention; no dice. "So…" she said, trying again to get him to talk. "Where're we going?"

"…" He leaned his head against the car door. Rosette watched him as his head bounced slightly with every small bump in the road.

"What're you doing?" she asked.

"…What does it look like? I'm trying to sleep, if you'd just shut up." Rosette narrowed her gaze, glaring at the boy in front of her. He had his feet curled up on the car seat next to him, his head continued to bounce on the plastic door. He frowned, clearly unsatisfied with his new position. Rosette rolled her eyes and reached over to put her hand behind Chrono's head. He jumped, startled. Before he knew it, Rosette had pulled him over to her and rested his head in her lap. She kept her hand on his shoulder. "What're you doing?" he asked, his cheeks started to blush.

"What does it look like?" she answered softly, speaking no louder than in a whisper. "A car door is no place to rest your head." She curled her fingers around his shoulder. "Besides," her whisper became even quieter, Chrono had to strain to hear her. "You looked uncomfortable…" Chrono's eyes widened a little, his blush becoming darker. He shifted his position on her lap so that he couldn't look at her directly. "W-what? Y-you think I-I'm doing this b-because I like you?" she stuttered. Chrono didn't answer. "W-well, you're wrong…" He could tell by her tone that she was blushing almost as much as he was. "…" They didn't speak for a few moments. Then, Chrono altered his position again so that he could look straight up at Rosette.

"…Thanks…" he whispered. Rosette smiled, Chrono blushed even more (if that's even possible). Chrono decided to carry on their little moment of peace by keeping up the conversation. "Sorry, I'm just…tired."

"How come?"

"I just finished a two hour concert—I think I have the right to be tired." he said rather harshly.

"…"

Chrono sighed, he didn't mean to come off so rude, it's just that he's not used to talking with people he doesn't know all too well. "Sorry… I was just—"

"It's okay. You don't have to say anything." She said, not quite meeting his eyes. "This traffic's so bad you could probably get in a good nap before we get to the restaurant." Rosette smiled down at Chrono. His expression seemed sad. "What's wrong? Was it something I said?" she asked worriedly.

He shook his head. "No one's ever really paid this much attention to me before…"

"?" Rosette cocked her head. "Really?" Chrono gave a nervous laugh before grinning up at her.

"Never mind," he said sitting up. "It doesn't matter, besides," he leaned close to Rosette, holding out his hand, offering to take hers. "We're here."

Just then, the driver (the one Rosette hoped never to see again) opened the side door from outside. Chrono slide out of the car, still holding Rosette's hand. He helped her out onto the sidewalk, which, for Rosette, was quite difficult. _'Stupid dress,'_ she thought. _'Why does it have to be so long?'_ Chrono laughed quietly at Rosette as she fumbled with her dress and shoes. Apparently she didn't have much experience with high heels and formalwear.

After a few moments of cursing her choice of clothing, Rosette looked up at the large, sparkling sign over the double glass doors of the restaurant. _Le Chateau de Caviar_ it read. Rosette gasped, opened her mouth and closed it. She kept flapping her lips like a fish out of water, but she couldn't find the right words to describe all the emotions she was having. "This…This…" was all she could manage to sputter out.

Chrono chuckled. "What?" he asked. "Not fancy enough for you?"

Rosette turned to him, a dead look of seriousness on her face. "NOT fancy?" she demanded. "I thought I said I wanted to go somewhere NICE, not ultra-super-high-class-doom-ness!" She took a stumbling step backwards like she was going to faint. She caught herself, tripped foreword slightly, and then turned once again to Chrono. "Are we here to psych me out, or to eat?" she giggled as she grabbed his hand and proceeded through the front doors. Chrono smiled to himself, clearly enjoying the simplicity that is Rosette.

X

Once inside the 'ultra-super-high-class-doom-ness' restaurant, Rosette for unexplainable reasons became somewhat shy and started to walk behind Chrono. He walked up to the French waiter sitting behind a podium next to the doorway that led into the main eating area.

"Ah, Monsieur Chrono, velcome." said the French waiter in an obviously fake accent. "Table for two? …Oh, I see zat you already have a reservation. Right zis way, pleaze." The waiter stood up and showed them to a table in the back near a window. He set two menus on the table and left. Rosette sat down, admiring the ritzy room.

'_It's almost better than Mr. Remington's room.'_ thought Rosette dreamily. The room was candle lit, the drapes looked like pure silk, and all the chairs and tables seemed to be made out of Cherry Wood. Never in a million years had Rosette thought that she'd get the chance to be in a place like this. She took a deep breath, nose filling with the exotic aromas of all the expensive food around her. She sighed and then heard a snort; she looked over at Chrono who had his elbow on the table with his chin rested in his palm. He was staring at her with one eyebrow arched and a small smile on his face. "What?" she asked hesitantly. He laughed and shook his head.

"Nothing," he said quietly.

Rosette blew out her cheeks childishly and leaned over the table slightly on her elbow to get closer to him. "Oh, no you don't," she started menacingly. "I know when something's 'nothing', and that certainly wasn't 'nothing'." She stared him down, trying to get an answer.

He smirked and said "You want to know what I was thinking?" Rosette nodded. "Well... I love you." He said simply, Rosette stared at him, wide eyed and totally taken aback. An awkward moment passed before either one of them spoke.

"Now you're just being silly." said Rosette leaning back in her seat. Chrono nodded. Rosette playfully tossed her napkin at him. "You meanie, that wasn't very nice!" Chrono caught her napkin and threw it back at her. Rosette giggled holding up her hand to block the napkin.

"AHEM," coughed someone behind Rosette. She jumped and turned around to find that the fake French waiter was standing behind her. "Are you ready to order?" he asked in his lame accent. He clearly disliked the fact that he had to wait on a couple of kids.

"Uhh…" said Rosette, she had forgot that she was here to eat, not throw napkins at a rock star. Rosette looked over at Chrono pleadingly. He smiled patiently.

"She'll have the _bifteck grand_, and I'll have my usual."

"Very good, Monsieur." said the waiter, jotting down the order. "Your dinner shall be ready shortly." And with that, he walked away again.

Chrono smiled until the waiter turned the corner into the kitchen. He turned to Rosette, who was slumped in her chair trying to look as small as possible. "What're you doing?"

"Hiding from the world," She said. Chrono had to suppress a laugh—he could tell she was being serious. "…" she looked up at him, blushing. She returned her gaze to her feet, or more like, the edge of her dress. She'd never been so embarrassed. That was the problem with ritzy places—you can't have fun without looking like an idiot. She slid further down in her chair. Chrono could tell that she was feeling a little stupid so he tried to put worries to rest.

"_C'est la vie_," he said, she looked up at him, utterly confused.

'_Oh, great,'_ thought Rosette tiredly._ 'Now he's speaking French…Way to make me feel even stupider…'_ Chrono stared at her for a moment, doubting whether or not she had understood him.

"Feel better?" he asked. The look that she gave him was a definite 'NO'. He sighed, knowing that he'd just made things worse. "Sorry…"

"It's not your fault I'm an idiot."

"You're not an idiot."

"Shows how well you know me."

Chrono tossed his napkin at her; Rosette didn't even try to block it. It landed in her lap. He sighed again. It wasn't like Rosette to be this quiet; at least, that's what he thought. _'Shit,'_ he thought. _'I just ruined dinner…'_

X

Now, Chrono couldn't have known how much Rosette loved to eat until she actually had food in front of her. "WOOOOWWW!" she marveled at the large platter of steak, potatoes, mixed veggies, and dinner rolls. "So… much… FOOD!" the twinkle in eyes grew exponentially as she poked her steak to make sure it was real. It was; she squealed in delight. "How did you know?" she asked Chrono excitedly, like he had just given her a mansion made of gold.

"Lucky guess…"

Rosette put her hands together like she was going to say a pray, looked up at the ceiling and said "I love you Lady Luck." and promptly dug into her plate. Chrono couldn't help but laugh at her. The waiter came back to place Chrono's food in front of him, when he had left, Rosette looked up to see what Chrono had gotten. The roll that she was munching on fell out of her open mouth. "RAMEN?" she asked in disbelief. "You come to the fanciest restaurant in all of New York, and you order RAMEN?" Chrono nodded, pulling apart a pair of chopsticks. Rosette continued to stare at him. "That must be, like, the world's best ramen." She rationed. Chrono shook his head, no. "Then why did you get it? Was it the cheapest thing on the menu?"

Chrono chocked on his noodles and had to pound his chest before answering. "You've gotta be kidding." Rosette cocked her head.

"Isn't ramen really cheap?" she asked.

"Usually, yes. But as you like to point out, this IS the fanciest restaurant in all of New York."

"…How much was that?"

"About twelve bucks." Now it was Rosette's turn to chock on her food.

"TWELVE BUCKS? That's highway robbery!"

"It can't be helped,"

"Yes it can! We could've gone to McDonald's or someplace else that's dirt cheap!" she stopped. "Wait, why DID we come here?"

"Because you wanted to go somewhere nice…"

Rosette was about to say something, but she stopped and blushed. "B-because I wanted to…?" Chrono nodded. "B-but I thought I was just some annoying girl who was taking advantage of you being rich?" Chrono's answer: pocky. Yep, pocky. Don't know how he got it or why, but he had pocky; and everyone loves pocky. Forgetting all her questions, Rosette gladly took a stick. Mmm… heaven…err, pocky…

X

When they left the restaurant, it was almost midnight. Joshua was going to so mad…

As Rosette climbed into the limo, the first thing she did after sitting down was take her shoes off. Her feet hurt so much, if she could learn only one thing for the rest of her life, it would be to never wear high heels again. She stretched out her legs, slouching a little. Once the driver had closed the door behind Chrono, and gotten back behind the wheel, the car started. Chrono leaned back, taking a deep breath and exhaling.

"Tired?" asked Rosette, he nodded. She scooted a little closer to him and put her arm around his shoulder. Almost immediately, he flopped back down into her lap. Before she knew it, Chrono had fallen asleep. Rosette let her mind run blank as she caressed the boy's cheek. _'He really is cute…'_

X

Rosette looked at her watch, twenty minutes into tomorrow already. She groaned silently. _'I'm only going to get six hours of sleep…'_ she thought, which of course wasn't true. She slept in so late every day that it wouldn't matter.

The limo stopped in front of her house; Chrono barely woke up when the car stopped. "Hm…?" he mumbled rubbing his eyes sleepily. "What's up?" he asked quietly, eyes still half lidded.

"I'm going home." said Rosette as Chrono slowly got up.

"Oh…" he said sadly, Rosette didn't notice his tone. Chrono slid out of the car to help Rosette out. He walked with her up to her front steps. He was still holding her hand from helping her out of the car.

"Um…" started Rosette. "Thanks…for taking me out…" she said blushing.

"Uh…'sokay, it was… fun…" he said blushing equally as much. They looked away from each other for a moment.

"Uh…" Chrono looked back over at Rosette, and then down at their hands, he hadn't let go.

"! S-sorry," he pulled his hand away and put it behind his back. Rosette held hers against her chin, blushing very brightly. "Well… I…" Chrono wasn't sure what to say now.

"I guess I'll be seeing you…" said Rosette. She reached behind her and opened the front door slowly. She began to sidle inside but paused when Chrono started to speak again.

"Uh…!" he gulped and took a deep breath. "…Good night." He said at last.

"…'Night…" said Rosette as she went fully inside and closed the door behind her.

Chrono stared at the closed door for a minute then went back to the limo. When the driver started the car again, Chrono laid down in the back seat. It was oddly lonely without Rosette…

X

Rosette softly closed the door behind her and stood there for a minute. Joshua came out of the kitchen, where the only light in the house was on. He had a cookie dangling out of his mouth. "Hey," he said taking the cookie into his hand to talk. "How was dinner?"

Rosette looked over at him, took a step away from the door, and did a little twirl with her arms stretched out before flopping down on the couch. She held her hand back up to her chin. She closed her eyes and said in a dreamy voice "Wonderful…"

X

X

X

**End Note:** Damn you, writer's block, I hate you! This chapter could've been done SO much sooner, but NO. I had to go and get writer's block! I'm sorry! Their 'date' sucked, didn't it? Okay, so it was less writer's block and more of a lack of experience. I kid you not, I've never been on a date before (tear…). Boys don't like me… STOP THAT, ME! I'm making myself depressed (again). I really hope you liked this chapter for a few reasons, 1. I worked extra hard to get it done (plus I really, really wanted to write it) and 2. I'm going on hiatus for a while. Sorry 'bout that, but I have an English paper due in like two days, and I haven't started it yet. Also, I need to work on my science fair project (darn you Mr. G.! Why science fair, WHY?) Oh, and don't ask about the pocky, that was just really random, the like Chron-O's…I still get the willies whenever I write that word. (Brr…)

Hooray! Hiatus is also good for writing other fic ideas that I have. I've got like TEN or something, all on a list, **Merodi-chan** can vouch for me. I won't write them all out, there's one that I really want to get out of the way, though. It's going to be a _Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle_ fic—and it has some _Chrono Crusade_ in it, YAY! … Yeah, I know. I do a lot of crossovers, don't I? Speaking of which, _ChivalryIsDead(dot)com_ is coming along nicely. … Well, not really. There are only two chapters posted currently. That's something else I have to work on while I'm on hiatus. Anyhoo, please R&R, and have a wonderful holiday season! (Though, I hope to get one more _ITLOARS_ done and posted before Christmas…)

Toodles, C U in a little while!

**BlackRose108**

(P.S.: I died my hair purple last night and just then realized: YAY! I'm Chrono, only taller! A heck of a lot taller…)


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **Me no own Chrono…WAH! Or Prétear, or any song mentioned in here…

**Author's Note (12.14.05):** SCREW HIATUS! I have inspiration! MWA HA HA! … Or at least that's what I would've liked to say two WEEKS ago, when I started this chapter. HOORAY! Today's my birthday, and this is my present to me and all of you. I put off SO MUCH science fair and other homework just to finish this tonight… anyway, nobody cares that it's my B-day, right? Alright, a few quick notes and then onto the (shitting long) chapter!

Raspberry is putting your finger below your eye and sticking your tongue out at someone.

I wanna say thanks to a couple people. 1, is **Darian Aidyn**, he helped me out a lot with thinking of places for R&C to go, and also what crappy ideas I shouldn't use. He also gave me the idea of the diner that's going to be mentioned. Thank you very much **D.A.**!

2, **Shadrad**, a deviant-artist whose pictures I found on deviant art (dot) com that gave me the inspiration to say "screw you" to writing my other fics to do this one. A picture of hers will be described for the cover of a Sinners CD at the end—it's a VERY good picture.

And now, because people keep asking, the Sinners' roles in the band:

**Chrono:** Guitar (lead singer-tener)

**Aion:** Back up guitar (baritone)

**Rizelle:** Bass guitar (alto)

**Shader:** strings/brass/sound FX (basically all the odd-jobs) (soprano)

**Genai:** Synthesizer/keyboard (tener)

**Viede:** Drums (baritone)

**Maggie Dillon:** Manager (and for those of you who DON'T get the pun—"Maggie Dillon"—"Magdalene" **GET IT NOW?**)

And I might interchange Rizelle's and Viede's roles, just because it'd work either way. And this is the first chapter with an actual GOOD title. Please enjoy and R&R:)

**In the Life of a Rock Star Chapter 5:**

**A rock star's first date, with a school girl he met, on the street last week.**

X

X

X

It had been two days since Rosette had gone out with Chrono. And in all honesty, she didn't think that she would ever see him face to face again, but fate has a funny way of pulling two people back together. Especially when one of them is famous and the other has anger issues.

"What a great concert," said Anna.

Rosette's eyebrow gave a small twitch.

"Wasn't that their best yet?" asked Mary.

She balled her fists.

"I know…" Claire sighed.

She took a deep breath and "WILL YOU ALL SHUT THE HELL UP?" she screamed, no longer able to listen to their dreamy sighs and nostalgic reminiscing. "It was two frickin' days ago—get over it!" Her friends stared at her, fairly upset. They were all wearing an identical pout on their faces.

"You're so mean, Rosette." stated Claire.

"Yeah, I mean, if YOU had been there, you'd still be talking about it too." said Anna.

"Or if you actually LIKED the Sinners, then we'd ALL be happy." pouted Mary.

Rosette sighed heavily; they could never understand her hatred of the rock world. "…Well, excuse ME for not liking that midget and his merry band, but I have better tastes in the art of music." she said haughtily.

"You mean like Puffy AmiYumi?" asked Anna sarcastically. Rosette flinched a little, cleared her throat, and straightened her pose. "…Well?" asked Anna more pressingly. Rosette looked over at her and stared for a moment. She threw a small raspberry at her and quickly ran away. "HEY!" yelled Anna, but Rosette was long gone. "That dork…" she whispered.

Rosette was quite a ways down the hall before she realized that she had just run out of one of her classes. "DAMMIT!" she yelled as she ran back as fast as she could. Lucky for her, Miss Hendric was too busy not being paid attention to by other students, to notice Rosette run out and then saunter back in three minutes later. As Rosette tiptoed back to her friends, she smacked Anna upside the head.

"OW!" she shouted as she held a hand up to her abused head. "Whaddya do that for?" Rosette hit her again.

"Because," she smacked Anna once more. "You made me leave class—I could've gotten in series trouble for that."

"It's YOUR fault that YOU ran out!" hissed Anna lowering her voice so that the teacher wouldn't hear them.

"How so?" demanded Rosette in an angry whisper.

"For getting upset that you couldn't go to the concert with us." she said selfishly.

Rosette raised her hand to hit Anna again, but at the last moment, thought of a better way to get back at her. "For your information," she started smoothly. "I DID go to that concert."

"You did?" asked Mary and Claire together; Anna said nothing.

"I even got to go back stage and meet the band." She looked down her nose at Anna.

"YOU DID?" shouted the other girls.

"NO WAY!" screamed Claire.

"That's totally not fair, Rosette!" protested Mary loudly.

"Yeah, that's like inviting us over to your house and hiding that major cutie Chrono upstairs right under (or more like above) our noses!"

"Or worse," started Mary, her bright blue eyes sparkling with tears. "Going out to dinner with him!"

"Or on a date!"

"Uhh…" Rosette had crossed the line. She quickly composed herself and waved her hand at her friends nonchalantly. "Don't be silly," she said anxiously. "I only had to go back there because Joshua dragged me along after winning backstage passes." Her friends sighed all at once; relived that their friend wasn't living their dreams.

DING DONG DING DONG! (change classes)

"Is there a chance that any of you are willing to do tonight's homework?" asked Miss Hendric tiredly. The students laughed at her as they left they room. Miss Hendric sighed, flopping down in her chair behind her desk. She rubbed her temples, cursing her profession.

Rosette paused on her way out. "…I'll do the homework, Miss Hendric." The teacher turned to her and shook her head.

"One person won't make a difference but thank you." She smiled up at Rosette. "You're free of science homework tonight."

X

X

X

"Joshua," asked Rosette that night as she was eating dinner with her brother. "Do you have Miss Hendric for your science class?"

He looked up at her and nodded, half a roll sticking out of his mouth. "'Ow uhm?" he tried to say.

"Don't speak with your mouth full."

"'Orry," He took his roll into his hand and swallowed what he had been chewing on. "Why do you ask?"

Rosette sighed, setting her fork down on her plate. "I dunno…she just seems so… so…"

"Lonely?" Rosette nodded. "Well, she IS twelve."

"What does that matter? She's a really nice person and I think she really has what it takes to teach. She just needs to grow a backbone." She looked up at Joshua. "What do you think?"

"I think she's hot."

"…" Rosette stared at him for a moment, and then what he had said registered in her mind. "THAT'S SICK!" she screamed, jumping up and throwing her fork at Joshua who barely dodged it by an inch. The fork made a little vibrating noise as it wiggled back and forth in the wall. Oh great, there's ANOTHER hole in the wall… "SHE'S WAY TOO YOUNG FOR YOU!" she screamed as she threw her knife this time, it landed in the wall a few centimeters away from the fork. "PLUS SHE'S YOUR TEACHER!" she threw her spoon which hit Joshua square in the forehead (luckily, it was the BACK of the spoon and not the end…). "WHY ARE YOU EVEN THINKING THINGS LIKE THAT?" she demanded as she picked up her plate, about to throw it and its perfectly good food at her brother. But before she could release it, Joshua tossed the only thing he could find at her; his napkin. As the fluffy white cloth softly hit her stomach and fell to the floor, Rosette thought for a second that she was back in the fancy French restaurant. She began to blush very brightly.

"What's wrong?" asked Joshua, cautiously coming out of his hiding spot under the table.

"Nothing," said Rosette quietly as she set her plate down. "Anyway, you already have a girlfriend. You shouldn't be thinking about other women like that."

"Just 'cuz I think Miss Hendric's pretty, doesn't mean I love 'er." Rosette flopped back down into her chair, sighing at her brother. "Well," he said standing up. "Good dinner, Rosette. I think I'll go do my homework now—"

A cutting knife flew inches from Joshua's head when he tried to walk away. "Eat your carrots." said Rosette menacingly. "Or ELSE."

"You're so mean, Rosette." whined Joshua.

X

X

X

_I walk a lonely road_

_The only one I that have ever known_

_Don't know were it goes_

_But its home to me and I walk alone_

Rosette walked into the choir room. "Oh pooh…" said one of the kids. "Rosette's here—we'd better turn the radio off before she breaks it… again."

"If she wants it off, she'll turn it off." said another haughtily.

Rosette, to everyone's surprise, walked right past the radio, WITHOUT turning it off, spooky… They stared at her. "Don't you hate this music, Rosette? Aren't you going to turn it off like you usually do?"

The other smacked him upside the head. "Shush!" she said in an urgent whisper. "She probably forgot—don't ruin it!"

"I can hear you." said Rosette calmly.

"Oops…"

"And no, I'm not going to turn it off. This song's not so bad…"

The girl jumped up and pointed an accusing finger at Rosette. "Who are you and what have you done with the REAL Rosette?" she demanded.

X

X

X

"Uh…Umm…" Miss Hendric was having another bad day. "Pl-please open your books to—"

"Hey, Brat," started Billy. "Are you sayin' somethin'? 'Cuz we ain't listenin'!"

"Oh…" she lowered her head like she thought that SHE was the one misbehaving. Billy started up his stupid laugh which in turn made the rest of the class laugh—at HIM, which made it so no one could hear Miss Hendric even if she tried to say something.

"Look at me," said Billy dumbly, pretending to be some sort of monkey. "I'm Miss Hendric! I'm a little brat who thinks she can teach high school!" the class laughed even harder.

Rosette slammed her hands down on her desk. "SHUT THE HELL UP, BILLY!" The classroom went dead silent. "This has gone on long enough!" she pointed at the boy. "Stop acting like a moron! You say Miss Hendric shouldn't teach high school—you shouldn't even BE in high school!" One of the other boys laughed, Rosette turned her point to him. "And YOU, Kevin, always following whatever Billy tells you—you're no better than he is!" Billy and Kevin sunk down in their seats, it was crash and burn for them when they were scolded by Rosette; they both had had a crush on her since sixth grade. "Miss Hendric is very qualified to teach but she's wasted on us if we can't even pay attention to what she has to say! Now we can listen to her or we can just this class next year—because we'll ALL fail if we keep this up! Or worse yet, if we can't learn because we're all too proud to be taught by someone younger than us, than we'll end up in dead end jobs for the rest of our lives because we failed the SATs for the fact that we didn't learn the necessary material in THIS class. The material's on the test so sit back, pay attention and learn the stuff, or you'll be one of those Santas at the mall!" Rosette took her seat; the rest of the class did the same—finding it more important to have a future than to mock a teacher, no matter how fun it was.

"…Please open your books to page 351." The class did so—they actually did what she asked! Happiest day of Az's life, EVER.

Before long, the class period was over and even Billy had learned something! Shock! The class left silently, and on her way out, Rosette was stopped by Miss Hendric. "Thank you, Rosette. I don't think I would have ever gotten the class under control if you hadn't helped."

"Aw, it was no biggie, Miss Hendric." said Rosette, blushing a little. She'd NEVER gotten thanks from a teacher before. Apparently, she was a "bad egg" or something like that…

"Uh," Miss Hendric looked up to see Billy and Kevin standing in front of her desk. "W-we're sorry that we were so annoying."

Az waved her hand at them. "I understand—I'm just a little young to teach is all." The boys sighed; glad that she could level with them. "But I'm afraid that I have to give you both detentions. You DID disrupt the class on more than one occasion, so I want to see you in detention every day for the next two weeks." The boys 'ugh'-ed at their teacher's strictness and left the room. Rosette giggled at their stupidity as they went. Az cleared her throat, bringing Rosette's attention back to her. "I'm afraid that I have to give YOU a detention as well, Miss Christopher."

"WHAT?" shouted Rosette. "What for?"

"You disrupted the class as well."

"…" Rosette growled quietly as she stormed out of the science room. _'Brat', _she thought harshly.

X

X

X

Rosette slammed her locker shut and grimaced at the cold metal door. 3 hours of detention, what a waste! She'd rather have Saturday school. And now, in early December, she had to walk home. _'Damn that little brat!'_ thought Rosette angrily. _'She could've at least given me a ride home! … Actually, she probably CAN'T drive yet…' _Rosette laughed at the thought. But when she opened the front door of Seventh Bell, her happy mode soon disappeared. It was snowing! It was so warm this morning, and now it's SNOWING! Darn you global warming.

Even if it was melting almost as soon as it hit the ground, Rosette hated walking in the cold snow. It always found a way to get in uncomfortable places. Rosette looked to her left for no reason in particular, and there was Miss Hendric, walking home, just like she was. Miss Hendric waved and smiled at her, so Rosette had to do the same. But when the teacher was out of sight, Rosette stuck her tongue out in the direction she had gone, but quickly retracted it when she thought an icy breeze might freeze it. She shivered, she'd always hated the cold, she didn't really know why. _'Maybe,'_ she thought. _'It's because it was in winter that Mom and Dad…'_ Rosette's mind filled up instantly with the dark thoughts of her past. She was so lost in her reminiscing that she didn't notice the person in front of her until it was too late. She had turned a corner and walked right smack into somebody. "Eek!" shouted Rosette automatically.

"!" the boy she had bumped into grabbed her hand to keep her from falling. Once he'd helped her back to her feet, he stared up at her in pure disbelief. "Rosette?"

"Chrono?" They stared at each other for a moment. "…Fancy meeting you here." She said jokingly. He laughed, which made Rosette smile—but of course she tried to hide it. She hates rock stars, remember? …Or DOES she…? "We have to stop running into each other like this—before someone gets hurt." Chrono laughed again. He likes jokes and Rosette had a million of them. But unfortunately, it was too damn cold to stand outside and tell him the other 999,998. "So…" she started, wanting very much to hurry up and get home and curl up with some hot cocoa. "Running away from fans again?"

Chrono shrugged. "Can't a guy take a walk?"

"Not when he's famous,"

"…" neither knew what to say now. An awkward moment passed before "Uhh…" Rosette looked down at her hand and blushed; Chrono was still holding it.

"…!" he let go, blushing his own cute shade of pink. My, doesn't HE have a habit of holding her hand?

Rosette started to dance back and forth, Chrono looked at her strangely. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm at a lack for a proper coat so—" she danced right passed him. "I really gotta get home." As she turned to leave, Chrono reached out and lightly tugged on her sleeve. Rosette stopped and looked back at him. "…? What is it?"

"…" he looked down, his blush growing brighter by the second. "Can I, uh… walk you home?" he asked quietly.

Rosette tilted her head, blew out her cheeks, and sighed. "Jeez… If that's all you wanted," she trailed off and then began to walk again. Chrono stayed behind, letting his hand slip off her arm. Rosette paused and turned around. "Well, come on," she said irritably. "Didn't you say that you were going to walk with me?" she turned and continued on her way again. Chrono's features seemed to light up with her approval, and he practically skipped up to be by her side. Rosette gave him an odd look, but Chrono could care less.

While waiting for a 'walk' signal, a very strong, very cold wind threatened to blow Rosette over. But fortunately for her, there was Chrono, standing right in her way of falling over. "Thanks," said Rosette as she stood back up. She rubbed her arms vigorously, hopping up and down trying to get warm. Chrono laughed at her quietly. She glared at him. "You think it's funny that I'm freezing my butt off?" he shook his head. And with that, he took off his scarlet coat and draped it around her shoulders.

"You need it more than I do." He said kindly. Rosette flushed a VERY dark red, near to fainting.

'_Grr—' _she thought. _'Why does he have to be so cute?'_ Despite her reluctance, Rosette slipped her arms through the sleeves of the red coat. Somehow it fit her. Why such a small kid had such a big coat, she'd never know.

X

Rosette slammed the front door behind her and ran over to the thermostat controls, turning the heat way up. She waddled over to one of the floor vents as the heat kicked on and wiggled her toes in the warm air. "So… warm…" she cooed, sitting down and rubbing her hands together over the vent with her feet still taking up the majority of warm air. Chrono chuckled seeing her in her crouched position over the tiny vent. She knew how silly she must've looked so she laughed along with him. Her toes were beginning to defrost, but her clothes were still wet from the melted snow. "I'll be right back down," she said, getting to her feet. "I need to go change." On her way upstairs, she looked over her shoulder at Chrono and grinned slyly at him. "And don't even THINK about peeping on me." Chrono turned away, shoulders trembling, trying his best not to laugh all out at her. Rosette giggled as she hopped up to her room, smiling at her corny joke. A door opened in front of her, but unfortunately, she was too far off in La-La Land to notice.

SMACK! That had to hurt. Rosette clutched her nose, glaring up at the person who had opened the door without regard to anyone standing in the way. "Oops, sorry Rosette." said Joshua half-heartedly stepping out of his room. "Didn't see you there,"

"Of course you didn't," she snapped irritably. "How could you see me, if you weren't looking?"

Joshua rolled his eyes. "Hey," he started, heading for the stairs. "Were you talking to someone? Because if you've got your loony friends over, then I'm going out."

"It's not my friends, stupid. Chrono came over."

"…! CHRONO'S at OUR house?" he gasped doing a double take. Oops, she wasn't supposed to tell him that was she? Joshua wobbled a little like he was going to faint. He clasped his head and turned to Rosette. "I think I'll go say 'hi'." And with that, he shot down the stairs; Rosette could hear his enthusiastic screams from all the way in her room. She shook her head, not knowing why her little brother was so obsessed.

She closed the door to her room and proceeded to stare at her not-so-giant wardrobe. _'I've GOT to get new clothes.'_ She thought drearily. She pulled a navy blue dress off the rack and stepped over to stand in front of the wall mirror. She pulled her school clothes off and stared at her reflection, blowing out her cheeks as she did so. The slim girl in the mirror showed her the same pout. Rosette sighed; she hated the way she looked. She always thought that she wasn't pretty. Which of course wasn't true; she was just very self-conscious. She quickly pulled her dress over her head and flattened out the skirt, making sure nothing was sticking out.

She pushed a few stray hairs behind her ear and stared at herself in the mirror again. A squishy knot of uneasiness kept slipping around her stomach. "Ugh… Why am I so nervous?" she asked her reflection. She sighed, trying to up her morale. "It's just me, Joshua and," she gulped, taking a deep breath. "Chrono." She finished. She noticed that she was blushing rather darkly. "OOOHHHH! Quit it!" she told herself. "You don't like him like that! You don't, you don't, you don't!" She swung her fists every which way, trying to knock the absurd thought from her head. Owe, now she had a headache. "Now look what you did." She told herself, grasping her aching head.

She heard a loud 'thump' from downstairs. '_Oh great, what'd Joshua do THIS time?'_ She dashed out of her room and down the stairs only to trip on one of Joshua's action figures. "AIEEEE!" she screamed, doing an unanticipated somersault down the last few steps. She landed painfully on her head, feet sticking up awkwardly; her skirt curtained over her face.

_I see London, I see France,_

_I see Rosette's UNDERPANTS!_

—Chanted Joshua. Rosette's face looked like a ripe tomato. Joshua wagged his fingers back and forth to the tune of his rhyme.

_Are they blue? Are they pink?_

_I don't know, but they sure STINK!_

When he finished, he couldn't stop laughing at the expression of fury that Rosette wore. "JOSHUAAAAAA!" she shrieked, getting to her feet and lunging at her brother in less than a second. "RAAAHHHH!" she pounced on the poor boy and wrapped her hands tightly around his neck, smacking his head against the ground as she tugged it back and forth. "YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Chrono stood idly by, watching the siblings try to destroy each other. Or more like one destroying the other. He was still blushing furiously from the bird's eye view that he'd received of Rosette's panties just moments ago; it was a very hard decision for him whether to be embarrassed or just take pleasure in the simple things in life (A/N: Hey, he's 16, whaddya gonna do?). A particularly loud choke from Joshua followed by the thud of his head falling motionless to the floor brought Chrono's attention back to Rosette. "AIEE! Joshua, say something—ANYTHING!" she screamed all panicky, jerking his unconscious form about.

"…ugh…anything…" he mumbled.

"Oh thank goodness!" sighed Rosette flopping backwards.

………

She turned around to find Chrono still standing there. _'Uh oh… Did he… see all that?'_ she wondered. Chrono shifted in his standing position awkwardly. _'That's a yes… DAMMIT!'_ "So, uh…How are you?" she asked stupidly, attempting to break the three feet thick ice that had piled up between them.

"Umm…" he started. "If it's alright with you, I think I'll be on my way now." He inched his way over to the door, picking his red coat up off a chair as he went. Before she knew it, he had scooted out the front door.

Joshua shook his head frantically as he leapt up from underneath Rosette; he ran to the door and called after Chrono "See you Saturday, okay?" like a super-preppy-girly-girl. Chrono waved his 'yes' back at him as he turned a corner, disappearing out of sight. Joshua closed the door. He threw his arms back shouting "YES!" like he had a date or something.

"What the hell was that all about?" asked Rosette skeptically.

Joshua spun around the room with his arms outstretched, sort of like what Rosette did when she had gotten back from dinner; this made her VERY skeptic of Joshua's romantic preferences. He rolled his eyes at Rosette and threw a pillow at her. "It's not like THAT. I'm going to the Sinners' recording session on Saturday." He squealed and jumped up into the air; landing flatly on his back on the coach.

"You are BEYOND weird." He nodded.

X

X

X

"HOORAY for Saturdays!" cheered Mary.

"Why am here, again?" asked Rosette. Mary had called her and told her to come over to hers, Anna's, and Claire's apartment complex (kind of like a dorm, only for their high school)—she said she needed to show her something urgent.

Mary squealed and said "It's a surprise," Then she leaned out the door of her single room apartment and yelled down the hall "HEY CLAIRE! Wake up!" After a moment, Claire poked her head out of her door.

"What…?" she asked sleepily.

"I have a surprise for you—get over here!"

"Mary, it's eight in the morning—on SATURDAY. Can't it wait?" Mary shook her head cutely. Claire groaned and fell out of her room, slowly getting up and closing the door behind her. "What is it?" she asked when she was at Mary's door. She opened her laptop and with a proud "TA-DA" showed them a webpage that had something along the lines of 'Sinner music video download' on it. "It took me since three this morning (crappy dial-up connection) but I finally got—The Sinners' newest music video!" Claire's sleepy mood vanished in an instant.

"Where did you find this? It's not supposed to be out yet!" Mary swiped her thumb over her lip smugly.

"Where there's a will, there's a way." Claire hugged the living daylights out of her and then paused. "Wait, won't Anna want to see this?"

Mary thought for a second—(GASP! Mary THOUGHT about something? It's the end of the world, man…)—Mary leaned out her door again and yelled down the hall "HEY ANNA, GET OVER HERE!" … No answer. She shrugged. "Oh well, her lose." She walked over to her computer, about to press play when Claire leaned out the door and called out sweetly "Anna, we're watching the new Sinners' video!"

Pitter patter, pitter patter, pitter patter—"WHAT?" Anna demanded out of breath, appearing in the doorway. "Why didn't you say so sooner?" she flopped down in a chair next to the computer. "…" she glared up at Mary. "Well, start it already!" Mary sighed, rolling her eyes, Claire laughed at the two, Rosette just stood there, and then Mary, at last, pressed play.

X

The video ended. "Wow…" breathed Anna. "Wasn't Chrono totally hot?"

"Yeah…" said the other in the same kind of star-struck tone.

"Oh please…" said Rosette, not wanting them to go into 'fan girl mode'. She looked down at her watch. "Oh SHIT!" she yelled. The other three girls turned and stared at her. "Sorry, but I'm kinda late for an appointment. Talk to ya'll later!" She then sprinted out the door.

"I hope you're not going to go see CHONO!" called Anna teasingly, the other girls laughed, but Rosette practically tripped.

X

Joshua bounded into the studio, past the security guards, and into the recording room. He waved wildly at Shader who waved just as wildly back. _"You're late!"_ she pouted from behind the glass window of the actual recording room. Joshua shrugged.

"It can't be helped." He said. Shader stared at him and then put a hand to her fake cat ear.

"_You have to press the button,"_ she stated, pointing to a large blue button on Joshua's side of the wall. He walked over and pressed it.

"It can't be helped," he restated. "Rosette was late picking me up." Rosette stuck her tongue out at him, he did the same. The band laughed at the two.

"_Can we just start already?"_ whined Viede. Shader pointed her kitty ears back like she was hissing.

"_Keep your pants on."_

"_Shader, are you drunk again?" _asked Rizelle cautiously. Shader gasped.

"_ACK! How could you tell? I thought I was hiding it so well, too."_

"_You're ALWAYS drunk. If you were acting calm, THAT'S when we'd know something was wrong."_ Shader stuck her hand behind her head and laughed away her accusations.

"_You know what being drunk reminds me of?"_

"_What?"_

"_Taxi cabs. Shiny, black taxi cabs." _ Just then, Shader and Rizelle broke into song.

_We're in a shiny black taxi cab,_

_Cruising through busy streets._

_Neon lights shining bright,_

_On shiny black leather seats._

_Hang a left, hang right._

_On the corners, out of sight._

_Midnight traffic light screams for go-go,_

_Back seat joy rides we love so-ho._

_Shiny black, shiny black_

_Shiny black taxi cab._

_When you're throwing up,_

_You'll kick back,_

_In a shinyyyyyyyyyyy—_

_Taxi cab._

"_ARGH! Enough with the taxis! New York has enough of them as it is, it doesn't need you two bimbos singing about them."_ The two girls pouted at Aion, he's so mean.

"_I repeat: can we just start already?"_

"_I wanna sing a random song," _said Genai, bored.

_I like big butts and I can not lie,_

_You other brothers can't deny,_

_When a girl walks in with an itty bitty waist,_

_And a round thing in your face,_

_You get—_

Shader smacked Genai upside the head. _"Idiot."_ She said. Rizelle nodded something that roughly translated into "True 'dat, true 'dat." The others couldn't help but laugh, even Joshua and Rosette. Under all the fame and glamour, they were just like any other idiotic teenagers.

"_Come on guys, let's just sing and get this over with." _said Chrono coolly. The others complied. He turned to their manager, Maggie Dillon, who had just walked in behind Rosette and Joshua and sat down at the control panel.

"Alright," she started, pressing the blue 'talk' button. "Ladies, gentlemen, and Genai," the other snickered. "Let's start off with One Week, shall we?" They nodded.

"_Uhh…"_

"What is it, Chrono?"

"_Do you have the words for that one with you?"_

"_Oh come on,"_ complained Aion. _"That's an easy one to remember."_

"…"

Maggie turned to Rosette and handed her a packet of lyrics. "Here," she said. "Take this in to him." Rosette nodded, blushing slightly as she went into the room. She handed the packet to Chrono silently, he smiled at her, making her blush even more.

When she quickly darted out of the room, Genai nudged Chrono with his elbow, whispering "Is that your GIRLFRIEND?" Chrono tried to hit him, but, due to that darn height difference, he failed miserably. From behind the glass, Rosette and Joshua laughed at the two. Chrono turned away, ashamed that Rosette had seen that. Genai taunted him all the more.

"Alright children," said Maggie. Are we going to do this, or not?" Genai and Chrono both felt ashamed, the wrath of Maggie was worse than anyone else's. She then pressed a whole lot of buttons on the control panel, making the music started inside the room. Chrono tried his best to keep up with the beat.

_It's been one week since you looked at me_

_Cocked your head to one side and said "I'm angry"_

_5 days since you laughed at me_

_Saying, "Get that together, come back and see me"_

_3 days since the living room_

_I realized it's all my fault, but couldn't tell you_

_Yesterday you'd forgiven me_

_But it's still be two days till I say I'm sorry_

_Hold it now and watch the hoodwink_

_As I make you stop, think_

_You'll think you're looking at Aquaman_

_I summon fish to the dish,_

_Although I like the Chalet Swiss_

_And I like the sushi_

_'cause it's never touch-d-d-darn it!_

Maggie stopped the music. Chrono banged his head on the music stand in front of him. _'THAT'S easy to remember?'_ thought Rosette. _'What the hell is Aion thinking? That must be harder to sing than it is to read a Dr. Seuss story aloud.'_

"Wanna try again, Chrono?" asked Maggie sweetly; he nodded.

… _Hold it now and watch the hoodwink_

_As I make you stop, think_

_You'll think tha-you're thooking-looking-DAMMIT!_

"Why don't we move on to the next song?" suggested the manager. "Shader, mind doing your new one?"

"_No prob, Mag!"_ Maggie started the new music and Shader began to sing.

_I wanna be like other girls_

_I wanna see what other girls see_

_Just to be free like…YAAAWWNN…_

Shader yawned. _"I'm tired, can't Rizelle do this one?"_

"_WHAT?"_ shouted Rizelle. _"No WAY am I doing your dumb song, Shader! Suck it up and do it yourself!"_

"_But I'm tiiiirreeddd…"_ she whined. Joshua leaned passed Maggie and touched the blue button.

"Rosette could sing it!" He said.

"WHAT? Last time I checked, I wasn't in their band!"

"_OOH! Great idea, Joshy!" _cheered Shader. _"Rosy, come on—get in here!"_

Joshua, forcing Rosette into his hair-brained scheme, pushed his sister into the recording room; kicking and screaming. He shoved her into an empty seat and trotted out of the room. He waved to her from behind the window saying "Don't worry—you'll be fine!"

"_I don't WANT to sing! I never do!"_

"But the kids in your choir class say that you're the best!"

"_Doesn't mean I like it!" _Regardless of Rosette's consent, Maggie started up the music again. Rosette barely had enough time to grab the lyrics packet from Chrono, find the song they were on, and look over the sheet music.

_I wanna be like other girls_

_I wanna see what other girls see_

_Just to be free like other girls…_

_GET TO BE!_

Rosette actually started to feel the groove of the song, and Shader, suddenly deciding that she wasn't tired anymore, joined her in singing. Even Rizelle with her loathing of happy-peppy songs, joined the other two. (A/N: Key to lyrics: _Underlined italic_ is Rosette singing, **Normal** **bold** is Rizelle, **_Italic bold_** **_underlined_******is Shader, and _plain italic_ is all three.

_nanana, na-na-na, nanana, na-na-na, nanana, na-na-na,_

_Woooo…_

**To wear my old jeans**

_**To eat a whole cake**_

_Feel the sun on my feet_

_Be quiet, **be crazy!**_

_Be anything I want to be._

_Dance around in my underwear_

'Rosette dancing in her underwear, hmm...' the random thought made Chrono blush, and then almost gag because if Rosette was dancing in her underwear, then by some obscure logic, Shader and Rizelle were dancing in theirs with her.

**To walk by myself**

_**Do nothing—all day!**_

_To eat a whole cake,_

_Be cranky, with frosting_

'Mmm...Cake...' thought Genai hungrily. He had a sweet tooth the size of Texas, and a stomach as deep as it is to the center of the earth.

_No cameras_

_No pressures_

_No phonies_

_No hair gel_

_No people who think that, they know me but don't._

_No platform shoes!_

'I wonder what it's like to wear high heel platform shoes...?' thought Aion, also wondering if he'd look cute in such shoes.

_I wanna be like other girls_

_I wanna see what other girls see_

_Just to be free like other girls_

_Woooo, woooo_

_I wanna be like other girls_

_I wanna see what other girls see_

_Just to be free like other girls_

_GET TO BE!_

'I remember doing this bit.' thought Chrono at the start of the guitar solo.

'YAY! Drums! I'm finally doing something!' thought Viede happily.

'Damn, Chrono got to do all of this solo... Stupid brat.' thought Aion sourly.

'Rats, there's no keyboarding in this song, tear...' thought Genai sadly, wishing that he could've helped in some way. Actually, he did help—by staying OUT of the other's way.

_nanana, na-na-na, nanana, na-na-na, nanana,_

_na-na-na,_

_Woooo…_

**To stay in one place**

**_To sleep until three!_**

_To meet a nice guy _**who likes me for me**

Chrono blushed more darkly. He was a nice guy, wasn't he?

_No cameras_

_No pressures_

_No phonies_

_No hair gel_

_No people who think that, they know me but don't._

_No platform shoes!_

_(**WOO!**)_

The boys slapped their hands over their ears at Shader's little out burst 'woo'.

_I wanna be like other girls_

_I wanna see what other girls see_

_Just to be free like other girls_

_Woooo, woooo_

_I wanna be like other girls_

_I wanna see what other girls see_

_Just to be free like other girls_

_I wanna be like other girls (_**other girls**

_I wanna see what other girls see_

_Just to be free like other girls_

_Woooo, woooo_

'It just keeps going and going and going and...' thought Genai tiredly, rolling his head from side to side.

_I wanna be like other girls (_**other girls**

_I wanna see what other girls see_

_Just to be free like other girls (**I wanna be like**, **I wanna see like** other girls)_

_Just to be free like other girls (**I wanna be like**, **I wanna see like** other girls)_

_GET TO BE!_

As the music died out, the girls applauded each other. The boys (taking a moment to recover because of having the same thoughts as Genai) greatly applauded them as well.

"Told ya you could do it, Rosette!" cheered Joshua, giving her two thumbs up.

"_And when was that?"_

"Uhh... Just now!"

"_Ugh..."_

"_THAT WAS AWESOME!" _shouted Shader, slapping Rosette on the back.

"_Really," _said Rizelle.

"_Yeah," _started Genai. _"You should join the band—you could replace Shader!"_

"_What was that, pipsqueak?"_

"_Eep! Nothing!"_

"_Why you—"_

"Enough already!" shouted Maggie tiredly. "Everyone—take five..."

"_But we're not tired."_

"Well I AM." Maggie stood up and left the room, mumbling something about Aspirin and her career choice.

Shader came bounding out of the recording room to give Joshua a big hug. "YAAAAY! I love breaks!"

"He has a girlfriend already." said Rosette.

"EHH? That's too bad..." said Shader gloomily, releasing her hold on Joshua.

"That doesn't mean that I don't like hugs!" he said, embracing Shader like a little kid.

"I'm not sure which one's more drunk." wondered Aion.

"My brother doesn't drink yet."

"...Maybe you should follow him someday, just to be sure." Aion looked around. "Hey, where'd Chrono and Genai go?"

X

"...No, that's stupid." mumbled Chrono, leaning over a notebook in his room, trying to be inconspicuous. "Grr... Not that either—Darn it!" he yelled as he tore the page that he had been writing on out of the book, crumpled it, and tossed it over to the trashcan, but missed getting it in by several inches.

"What're you doing?" asked Genai, coming into Chrono's room without permission.

"Trying to write haiku—it's very hard."

"Really…?"

"Mmhm," Chrono looked up at Genai. "What do you want anyway?"

"Oh, moi? I was just wondering why you're wasting your break writing haiku."

"Rosette told me that if I ever wanted to ask her something, it had to be in haiku." Said Chrono, scribbling another attempt down on the page.

"Oh reeeaaallly…?"

"Ah-ha! That's it!" Chrono snapped his notebook shut and stared up at Genai. "Why are you so interested anyways?"

"Oh… just…because…" Genai slinked over to where Chrono sat on his bed, leaned over him, and after a moment of smiling, he yanked away the notebook and ran for the door. "I hope your work's ready for it maiden voyage!" he yelled back, laughing like a madman.

"Just what do you mean by that?" shouted Chrono, chasing after him. Then it hit him. "Genai—Get your sorry ass back here and give me back my book! So help me, if you show that to Rosette, I'll—"

"You'll what? You're too short to do any real harm!"

"Grr—!"

X

"Oh Roseeeeettttteeeee!" cooed Genai, racing down the hall and stopping centimeters in front of the confused girl.

"Uh… Yes?"

"…Hold on a sec," he gasped, trying to catch his breath.

"GENAI YOU BASTARD!"

"Oh great… He caught up already."

Chrono, running out of the hall, bumped into Genai as he tried to stop. "Don't you… Don't… you dare…" he gasped, also completely out of breath.

"Uh… Am I missing something here?" asked Rosette very confusedly.

"Oh, how rude of me," started Genai, trying to sound nice. "To leave such a beautiful girl out of the conversation—that's just horrible!" He put a hand to his forehead and held the notebook close to his chest, striking an overly dramatic pose.

"Huh?" asked Rosette, blushing very brightly.

"Shut it, Genai! Just give me back my notebook!"

"What's in the notebook?"

"Ack."

"Ooh! Glad you asked!" cheered Genai, opening the book to the last page written on.

"DON'T YOU DARE!" shouted Chrono, leaping up at him, trying to grab his book back. But alas! Genai was still too tall for Chrono to stand a chance.

"Roses are red, violets are blue," started Genai. Chrono stopped his assault—that wasn't his poem—it wasn't even haiku. "I know you hate rock stars, but this one loves you!"

"!" Chrono turned bright red, resuming his attack on Genai. "I DIDN'T WRITE THAT! I SWEAR!" he shouted back at Rosette while still trying to retrieve his stolen property.

"…" Rosette just kinda stood there, blushing almost as brightly as Chrono.

"Oh, sorry, that's not the right one." Said Genai, Chrono lashed out at him more vigorously now. "_Ahem_, Rosette is lovely, she smells like strawberries so, let's go on a date!" Genai looked up from the notebook page. Chrono had practically fainted and was currently sitting on the floor trying to suppress this humiliating memory. Rosette on the other hand was ticking off syllables on her fingers.

"…3…4…5?" she looked at her hand, wiggling her fingers slightly. "Huh, that WAS haiku, and not too shabby at that, and sure—how 'bout eight?" she smiled at Chrono, then she walked away to go find Joshua. Chrono stood up and stared after her.

"Did she do haiku?"

"Wow…A really good one too…"

"She said yes—WOOHOO!" Chrono leapt up into the air, cheering like he'd never before; Genai smacked him on the head.

"Feh… Don't be such a fag."

Chrono calmed down, but his smile never left his face.

X

"Rosette!" called Joshua when he spotted his sister. "Uh, can we leave now?"

Rosette jumped back several feet. "WHAT?" she shouted in disbelief. "YOU want to leave, even though your favorite band's here?"

"Eh heh… It's hard to explain—the sort version—I need to do something at school."

"…Alright, if you really wanna…" Rosette dug around her pocket for her car keys, heading for the door. Joshua waved 'good-bye' to Shader as he followed Rosette.

Chrono and Genai entered the room; one with a black eye, the other with a bloody nose. "?" Chrono turned just in time to see Rosette and Joshua leaving. "Going so soon?" he asked a tad bit of sadness in his tone. Rosette didn't notice—again.

"Joshua has a thing, or so he says." She said, turning to face the boy.

"Come on sister, we're going to be late." whined Joshua, pulling on Rosette's arm.

Rosette turned ever so slowly toward him, her eyes were bugged out and her face was void of most color. "Did you… just… call me sister…?" she asked quietly.

He thought for a moment. Then, he slapped his cheeks and shouted "OH NO! Big Sister's going to be so mad!"

"Jooo… Shuuuu…AAAAA!" screamed Rosette. "You are SO DEAD!"

"AIEE! I think I'LL drive this time!" he yelled as he raced out the door.

"LIKE HELL YOU ARE—I've still got the keys!"

"Yoink!"

"GET BACK HERE, DAMMIT!"

As the Christopher's car eventually drove away, the entire band was standing at the back door, watching them disappear onto the street. "That's a really weird girlfriend you got there, Chrono." said Maggie vacantly. Chrono nodded.

X

"There, happy now?" asked Rosette, unlocking the car doors so Joshua could get out. He nodded.

"Thanks Rosette, I'll call you when I'm ready to be picked up."

"You could just take the bus." She said bluntly. "Hey… You could've taken the bus to get here? Why'd I have to drive you?"

"Oh, uh…eh heh…" He stepped out of the car and backed a few feet away. "Truth be told, I didn't want to leave you alone with Chrono."

"WHY?" screamed Rosette, leaning out the window. "What's wrong with Chrono?" she demanded.

"Nothing!" yelled Joshua distantly as he ran into the school.

"COWARD!" she sighed after her brother had disappeared into the building. "…I wanna go shopping." She said randomly.

X

"Hmm…Does Satella like this kinda thing?" asked Rosette to herself, looking over a stuffed animal display. "Nah…What's something else I can get her?" Rosette wandered out of the toy store and into a video store. Almost right away, she spotted a present for Joshua—but she wouldn't be caught dead buying it, the new Sinners' CD. _'Only one left, too…'_ thought Rosette._ 'Oh well.'_ She walked out of the store and into Anna. "Oof!"

"Eep!" The girls fell backwards on impact. "Sorry… Rosette?" Anna looked up at her friend. "What're you doing here?"

"Christmas shopping—only 13 days left." she said sorrowfully. "And I have NO idea what to get for my family."

"Family, huh?" asked Anna, warming up to Rosette. "So then… whaddya get fer me?"

"Let me rephrase that—"

"Okay, okay, I get it. You're behind on your 'to do' list. No biggie, so am I." The girls laughed at each other and their laziness. "Hey, wanna come over? We have hot cocoa…" tempted Anna. Rosette was there five minutes ago.

X

Rosette breathed in the delicious sent of chocolate and marshmallows. "Mm… Thanks Anna." She sighed.

"No prob."

"HI GIRLS!" screamed Mary, bursting into the room. Anna was so surprised that she accidentally sent her cocoa flying all over her sweater.

"MARYYYY! That is THE LAST time you're allowed in my room without knocking!" yelled Anna, leaping up, ready to kill the small blonde. "YOU ARE SO DEAD!"

"AIEE!"

Knock knock. They all turned to see Claire in the doorway. "Come on in," said Anna kindly, choking Mary in the corner. Claire leaned against Anna's bunk bed and sighed heavily. "'Sup?"

"Oh…I can't wait for the Sinner's new CD to come out…"

Rosette and Anna stared at her for a minute; Mary was just trying to breathe. "…Claire," started Anna, releasing Mary from certain death. "It IS out."

Claire did a double take. "Really?"

"There's only one copy left at the music store in the mall."

"THERE IS?" Claire looked left and right, over and over again, trying to decide what to do. "B-but, I'm supposed to meet my parents here in like five minutes!"

"Run Claire, run!"

She glanced about once more before sprinting out the door, yelling "They'll understand!" back at her friends. They all laughed at Claire, she may not seem like it, but she really IS neurotic. "So…" asked Anna, addressing Rosette. "Got any plans for tonight?" She nodded. "What'cha doin'?"

Rosette shrugged. "Dunno…all the info I got so far is that it's date." Anna gasped.

"YOU have a date? Who, with who?" she demanded.

"I-I can't really say…"

"OH! Is it a blind date?"

"NO!"

"Then whoooo…?" she begged, it was tearing her apart not to know.

"L-let's just say he's kinda short, and leave it at that, okay?"

"Daisuke's short," pressed Anna.

"It's not Daisuke!"

"Then WHO?"

"Just leave 'er alone. If she doesn't wanna tell, then she doesn't have to." Said Mary, hopping up, finally recovered from her spat with Anna.

"Feh, says you!"

Just then, Claire came busting through the door, breathing heavily; a plastic bag in her hand. "I…I got it…" she gasped. The others applauded her, even if she was out of breath and soaking wet from the snow.

"Oh, Claire sweetie, are you ready?" called a voice from down the hall.

"And… th…there's my dad…" she laughed a little; more hysterical than happy.

As she left, the others continued to laugh at her. Rosette looked down at her watch. "DAMMIT!" she screamed, jumping up. "I'm late, I'm late, I AM LATE!"

"For what?"

"My date!"

"What's the big deal, you're always late?"

Rosette turned to Anna and blew out her cheeks indignantly. "HE'S special, okay?" with that, she ran out the door, leaving Mary and Anna in her dust.

"Huh… who knew?"

X

Rosette crashed through her front door and up the stairs. "Late, late, late!" she kept screaming to herself. She began to rifle through her clothes, wondering what to wear. "Wait," she stopped. "Where are we even going?" she tossed her heap of laundry up into the air and flopped down onto her bed with a frustrated groan. Just then, there was a knock on the front door. "EEK! No, he can't be here—not yet!" Rosette flew out of her room and down the stairs to the door, accidentally slamming into it with a loud 'thud'. She heard a voice from outside as she pealed away from the door.

"Are you okay Rosette?" asked the voice. Rosette threw the door open.

"JOSHUA?" she screeched, waving a threatening fist at her brother. "Don't scare me like that. I thought you were—CHRONO!" Joshua entered the apartment, revealing the short boy standing behind him with a bewildered look on his face. "Uh, um, uh… HI!"

"…Hi? Why were you yelling?"

"I…um, that is… well…" Rosette couldn't stop blushing and she just couldn't find the right words either.

"Oh, don't mind her," said Joshua, returning from the kitchen with a cookie. "She always yells. She has no indoor voice."

"SHUT IT!" screamed Rosette.

"See?"

"Go do your homework!"

"But its Saturday!" whined the blond.

"Then go watch one of your animes or something."

"Yay!" cheered Joshua, skipping off to his room. Rosette sighed, looking back at Chrono who hadn't moved an inch.

"Sorry 'bout that," she said, stepping away from the door slightly. "Come on in." Chrono nodded and did so; he sat down on the sofa, blushing a little bit. Rosette sat down beside him. Neither one said anything, the only sounds in the house were from Joshua's TV up in his room (_"Mannen, be a man and take the job!" "Shut up, Goh!" "Just be quiet—both of you!" "Sorry, Sasame…"_). "So…" started Rosette, trying to break the ice. "Where're you taking me this time?"

"!" Chrono jumped a little and turned away, he was too nervous to face the girl. "Well, um… Do you like ice skating?"

X

"This…is…SO cool!" squealed Rosette. In all the years that she'd lived in New York, she'd never been to the Rockefeller Plaza ice skating rink. It was especially gorgeous this time of year—what with the giant Christmas tree and all. "EEE!" she shrieked, doing a twirl on her skates, gliding in a circle around Chrono. "…Thank you." She breathed. Chrono nodded, flushing an adorable shade of rose. "?" Rosette stopped her experienced skating and stared at the boy. "How come you're not skating?"

Chrono's face darkened and he turned away. "I, uh…" he bowed his head even lower and whispered. "I don't know how…"

Rosette snorted a little laugh. "You don't…? And you still came here…?" he nodded. Rosette stopped snickering and straightened her pose. "Now why would you do that?"

"The same reason that I'd write a haiku."

"…And that would be…?"

"I…I like you."

Rosette smiled, skating over to his side. "Mmhm… That's a problem we have to fix." She stated firmly.

"H-huh?" asked Chrono flustered and turning sharply to face her.

"I mean your skating problem; we have to fix it—so you'll know how."

"Oh, whew…" he sighed. "For a second there, I thought you were—"

"Hey, if I hated you, then I wouldn't be here." she took hold of Chrono's hand and led him out further into the center of the rink.

"W-what're you doing?" he asked nervously, slipping with every step taken. "Rosette, this is a bad idea. I really can't do this at all."

"Oh, quit being such a baby." She giggled. "…?" she paused and looked Chrono in the face. "Is it just me, or was that the first time that you've said my name?"

Chrono stared up at her. He could've sworn that he'd said it before, but then again, if he really thought about it, he couldn't recall when he had. "I dunno… is it?"

"…Say it again?" she whispered.

"Rosette," he said, blushing slightly at the silly task. _'Why would she want me to say her name?'_ he thought. _'Ack! What if I'm pronouncing it wrong? What if that's not her REAL name?'_ Chrono's head began to swirl with idiotic thoughts, which caused him to lose his balance on the ice and fall flat on his bottom. "Owe…" he cried, rubbing his lower back with his left hand. He looked at his right; he was still holding Rosette's hand. She was bent oddly over Chrono; she had kept her balance and was still standing. "S-s-sorry!" stuttered Chrono, Rosette laughed at him. "W-what?"

"You really don't know how to skate, do you?" she pulled on his arm, forcing him to stand with her.

"Sorry…"

Rosette huffed, turning away from the boy, but keeping her hold on his hand. "Jeez, quit apologizing already, will ya?"

"Sorry,"

"Argh, there you go again!"

"Sor—no, I mean I—I don't know!" he yelled frantically. "…How well can you skate?"

"That was out of the blue,"

"Well?"

"I don't like to brag, but…"

"Show me."

"Huh? Whaddya mean?"

"I mean, show me how good you are."

"Mm…Okay," she said quickly, releasing Chrono's hand. "Just promise you won't fall while I'm showing you, okay?" he nodded. Rosette backed up and then began to sway from side to side until she was skating backwards, doing a twirl every couple of seconds. Every now and again, she would jump up and do a spin, landing gracefully on one foot. With each of her fluid movements, her skirt would flare up (she was wearing one of those dazzlie skater-leotards—it was pink), flashing a little more thigh than she would of liked, but she was having too much fun to notice. When she glanced over at Chrono, his smile was so warm and wonderful, it made Rosette blush. It also made her lose her balance and fall on her butt. "AHH! That's cold!" she whined as she came to a sliding stop. She could hear Chrono laughing at her from several feet away. "Grr, it's not funnyyyy!" she yelled, pounding her feet on the ice. "How can you just stand there laughing when my butt's frozen like this?" she demanded, Chrono laughed even harder. Rosette, stumbling slightly as she got to her feet, marched over to him, grabbed his collar, and jerked him back and forth. "Niargh!" she screamed, at a loss for words; Chrono just kept smiling and laughing.

X

"Mm…cocoa-moo…" Rosette cooed, taking in a good whiff of her hot chocolate. They had given up on skating and were now sitting on a bench watching the other people skate.

"…'coco-moo'?" asked Chrono, giving her a bewildered look.

"Uhh…Don't ask." Rosette turned away, watching the snow fall. "…say, what does snow become when it melts?"

"You stole that Fruits Basket."

"Guilty as charged." She sighed. "Humor me, what do you think it becomes?"

"I dunno,"

"I thought you knew it from Furuba?"

"I never finished watching that episode."

"Ugh…"

"Wait, I think I know,"

"Hm?"

"When snow starts to melt it becomes slush."

"…"

"What?"

"That's actually a better answer than spring." Chrono laughed. "…Ugh…I AM SO BORED!"

"Sorry…"

"It's not your fault, I'm almost always bored."

"Whaddya wanna do?"

"Dunno, what do you want to do?"

Chrono shrugged and sighed. _'Man, she's going to hate me for this,'_ he thought. _'I can't believe I'm blanking out on our date.'_ Just then, a horrible growling sound erupted from Rosette's stomach.

"I'm so hungry…" she whined.

Chrono chuckled, saying "Come on, I know this great little place that's not too far from here." He held out his hand for Rosette.

X

"Now, when you said 'little'…" said Rosette, gawking at the diner. It was on one of the top floors of the Empire State building. "The places I go with you…" she muttered.

X

(Two hours later—in an observatory in the E.S.B.)

"You can see everything from here…"

"(whimper) yeah…"

"What's wrong?"

"I hate hates…"

"Oi, girls…"

X

Rosette stepped up to her front door. "You wanna come in?" she asked, but before Chrono could respond, Joshua swung the door open.

"Just where have you been?" he yelled. "Do you know what time it is—I was so worried!"

"You knew where I was,"

"Yeah, with some rock star you barely know!"

"Is he bipolar or something?" asked Chrono.

"He's a lot of things, but bipolar? I don't think so."

…

"Oh hi Chrono, wanna come in?"

"But then again…"

X

"—And then Himeno preated with Sasame, and it was like BOOM! I yo face b-atch! And it was so funny because—" Rosette and Chrono sat slumped on the sofa, watching Joshua pace across the room, recounting every detail of the latest episode of Prétear for them. He had begun his random rant to fill the awkward silence created by his sister and his idol. _'Ugh…Brain… rotting… can't listen… anymore…'_ droned Rosette in her mind. Just then, there was a knock at the front door, Rosette had to try very hard not to shout "YES!" for the welcomed pause in Joshua's regaling. "I'll get it," he said in between the words "Sasame" and "Evil".

He trotted over to the door, opening it with a bright smile on his face. "Hello?"

"Hey, Joshua!" said Anna, it was her, Mary, and Claire standing in the snow wanting to come in. "Is Rosette there?"

"Why yes, Rosette," he called backwards. "Your loony friends are here!"

"Watch it, punk." said Anna harshly, lightly hitting Joshua on the shoulder as she entered. "Hey, how was your date?"

"Oh…pretty good." said Rosette nervously. About three seconds prior to her friends actually coming into the house, Chrono had shot upstairs to hide safely until they left. "What's up?"

"When I went out with my dad," began Claire sadly. "I realized that you all didn't get to listen to the CD I got, so I thought we could listen now, all together."

"Awe, you didn't have to do that." said Rosette, not at all enthusiastic about listening to the Sinners.

"But it'll be fun!" chirped Mary. Claire then found Rosette's CD player and inserted the disc.

"May I join you?" asked Joshua. After a hesitant moment, they nodded. "Yay!" Claire pressed play and the first song started. Rosette cocked her head. This was way too heavy metal to be the Sinners' music.

_kishin da omoi o hakidashitai no wa_

_sonzai no shoumei ga ta ni nai kara_

_tsukan da hazu no boku no mirai wa_

"Hey Claire, can I see the case?"

"Sure," she handed it to Rosette who looked at the back. 'Number 1, 'Rewrite'—written by Maggie Dillon, Vocals by Chrono'.

"Huh," said Rosette. "Guess they're expanding their horizons." She muttered, flipping the case over. "!" Rosette's face turned bright red upon seeing the covering. It was a head shot of Chrono, but a very sexy looking head shot of Chrono, who was lying on a bed of roses with the most adorable look on his face. "WHAT IS THIS?" screeched Rosette, showing her friend the album cover, they all blushed.

"That has to be his best photo yet." sighed Anna.

"Defiantly," agreed Mary.

"…What's wrong with you?" asked Rosette, disgusted.

Upstairs, Chrono took another blow to his pride. _'Rats,' _he thought. _'Even I liked that photo…'_

"You… You have defiled my home with this—this—THIS!" she yelled.

"Oh come on Rosette," started Joshua. "It's SEXY!"

"………" they all stared at him.

"Joshua, go to bed, NOW!" he pouted but did as he was told. Rosette turned to her friends. "It's late, can you all just go home and we can finish this tomorrow?"

"You don't want to listen, do you Rosette?" asked Mary sadly. She shook her head. "Okay, then we'll finish it when we get home!" With that, they gathered Claire's CD, said their goodbyes, and left. THAT'S when Chrono came back down.

"…You really didn't like that picture?" he asked quietly.

"…Well, I'm not going to say that in front of them. They'd suspect something." Chrono perked up, and noticed that he had subconsciously been inching closer and closer to Rosette, he was now standing directly in front of her. "Uh…" she said, blushing. "Thanks for today…"

"Don't mention it…" the space between their faces was growing increasingly smaller, until their noses were touching. Rosette closed her eyes, wanting very much for Chrono to close the gap between their lips. And he would have if Joshua hadn't burst into the room, asking where the extra toilet paper was.

"JOSHUA!" screamed Rosette, taking a step backwards. Chrono turned for the door, bright red and flustered, he looked back at Rosette one last time.

"I'll see you later, okay?" he asked kindly.

"W-wait," she said, running over to him and taking his hand. "I-I know this is kinda fast, but, um… You're not doing anything on the twenty-fourth, are you?" he shook his head. "Then, um, w-would you like to come over for a, uh… It's just some stupid thing my family does every year for Christmas, but uh,"

"Are you inviting me to a holiday party?" he asked. Rosette nodded, blushing very darkly. "As long as you're there, I'd love to go."

"…Thanks, Chrono…"

X

X

X

**End Note:** AH HA HA HA! (Author laughs hysterically). It's finally over! 31 pages without author's notes, ugh… must go to sleep… can't write note…

Only thing you all need to know is that I'm going to try to get the holiday special chapter up before Christmas. Okay?

Tired Toodles… :)


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** Glarb… This took forever to write, and sorry that it took so long to post, I was grounded by the administrators for reasons I wish not to mention. And** Merodi-chan**, not a word, GOT IT? Good… Anyway, no spot light, because I'm lazy. And I might be going on hiatus now, just because, so if you don't hear from me for awhile, you'll know why. And now, the holiday special of **ITLOARS** (And sorry if I spelled or used any German words incorrectly):

In the Life of a Rock Star

Chapter 6: Secret-Santa Rock Star

"Wheeeeeee!" shouted Joshua, skipping around the room while Rosette hung up decorations. "Just three more days! Just three more days! Just. Three. More. Days!"

"Would you shut up already and help me put this crap up?" snapped Rosette, turning around sharply to face her brother.

"Only," he began slyly, "if you tell me what Christmas present you got me."

"A bag of charcoal, why?"

"You're so mean, Rosette!" he cried.

"And don't you forget it." There was a knock on the door. "Can you get that?"

"What did you really get me?"

"Self control,"

"Fine, DON'T tell me…" Joshua stalked away to the door and opened it.

"Joshua, min lebeschkin!" cried Satella as she hugged Joshua tightly against her overly developed chest.

"Satella!" said Joshua grinning and blushing.

"Satella?" yelled Rosette rushing over to the door. "You said you wouldn't be here for three weeks!"

"Has it been zat long?" asked Satella cutely.

"Hardly!"

"Oh vell, you know I have trouble with calculations…" justified Satella.

"Feh, typical super model intelligence." mumbled Rosette.

"Vat did you say?" demanded Satella, letting go of Joshua. "As if you are von to talk! Tell me, how low is your grade point average?"

"Lay off, woman!"

"Ladies, ladies, please," said Joshua calmly, waving his hands at the other two. "There's no reason to fight over me."

"Where the hell did you get THAT idea from?"

"Zis is none of your concern, lebeschkin!"

"Quit calling him that, would you?"

"Vat do you call him zen? Do you even know zat his is your only brozer?"

"Of course!"

"I can see zat zis is going to be another vonderful Christmas, this year!"

"Then you must be blind!"

"VAT?"

"Uh-oh! That's right…" whispered Joshua. "Uh, Rosette?"

"What do you want?" she snapped.

"I kinda invited a couple friends over for the party."

"Whatever."

"Really?" he asked hopefully. Then it hit Rosette.

"WHAT?" she screamed, grabbing Joshua's collar and shaking him harshly. "How could you? How many? Why would you ruin that day for me?" she cried.

"Well… It started off as only one."

"…'started off'?"

"Yeah, and then I invited another friend of mine, because she said that her family was staying in Portugal this year. So she would've spent Christmas alone."

"Is that all?"

"Err… THEN I found out that the first person I invited was going to bring some of her friends, too."

"So how many is that, exactly?" asked Rosette angrily.

"About eight people…"

"JOSHUAAAAAAA!" she screamed, shaking him in her grasp roughly.

X

"Guess what, everyone?" asked Shader gleefully. "We're going to spend Christmas Eve with Joshua and Rosette!"

X

"My life is over…" sighed Rosette, slumping down on the couch.

"How could it be?" asked Satella dreamily. "When zat cutie Chrono is coming over?"

"Jeez, I already invited him. It's the thought of Shader getting drunk over here that worries me."

"Vell I vouldn't—Vait, you already invited him? Oh please, Rosette, don't play make-believe at your age, it's unbecoming."

"How do you think Joshua got to talk to the Sinners, hm?"

"I don't know, maybe he von ze chance in a radio contest."

"Actually, Satella," started Joshua. "Chrono is Rosette's boyfriend!"

"VAT?"

"Hey," shouted Rosette, "he's NOT my boyfriend…yet."

"NOOOOOO! Zis is terrible! How can I go living now zat I know zat you have stolen the person I love?"

"What're you talking about?"

"Oh, yeah! Hey Rosette, Big Sister's coming too, okay?"

"That better be it, Joshua!"

"It is…"

"VHYYYYYYYY?"

"Shut up, woman!"

X

"I'm sorry about zat," said Satella an hour later when she had finally calmed down. "But ze thought just drives me crazy. You said 'yet', am I correct?" Rosette nodded and Satella jumped up, a fire in her eye. "Zen zere is still hope—hope zat I can win him over!"

"In your dreams, maybe."

"Oh please, I'm much prettier zan you are. He'll fall head over heels ze moment he see me!"

"Get brain, or at least a life."

"Vat was zat?"

"Oh yeah! Just as a head's up, we're doing a secret-Santa for the party! Here, pick a name." with that, Joshua held out a hat with little scraps of paper in it.

"If they all have your name on them…" started Rosette suspiciously.

"Not to worry, Big Sister already busted me on that one."

'_Which means you DID try…'_

"…" Satella looked at her card. "Who is zis?" Joshua looked over to see what name she had gotten. He whispered something in her ear, and Satella cried "I don't vant to get something for HER! I vant to get something for Chrono!"

Rosette laughed at her as she opened her own card. "…" she grinned evilly when she saw the name.

"Who'd you get, Rosette?" asked Satella.

"SECRET-Santa, remember?"

"Fine, DON'T tell me…"

X

"WHEEEE! Christmas shopping!"

"Shader, don't make a scene."

"But whyyyyyyyyy?"

"Because you're famous."

"Oh yeah—Avert ye eyes! Avert ye eyes!"

"That's not helping."

"Can I sing?"

"No."

"I'm gonna sing!" As Shader took a deep breath, both Genai and Rizelle slapped their hands over her mouth, saying "enough".

"This is stupid," said Aion, "why are we out shopping three days before Christmas?"

"Because Joshy wanted to do a secret-Santa gift exchange!" said Shader, freeing herself of Genai and Rizelle.

"But why did he wait so long to tell us?"

Shader shrugged and looked over at Chrono, who was being unusually quiet. "What's wrong, Chrono?" He jumped at his name and turned to face his friend. "Do you know what you're going to get for the person you drew from the hat?" He blushed and turned away again.

"I have no idea…what…she'd like…" he mumbled.

"She who? More than half the people at the party are going to be girls; you need to be a little more specific." He didn't answer. "Sheesh, boys…"

X

"Just two more days! Just two more days! Just. Two. More. Days!"

"I swear, Joshua," screamed Rosette, "You're going to put me in the loony bin, some day!"

"Oooh! Can THAT be my Christmas present?"

"Must control…fists…of death!"

"Ack, can you be quiet for even a minute?" asked Satella irritably.

"Well excuse us, princess."

"Zat's QUEEN to you, Rosette."

"Grr…"

"Hey Rosette," asked Joshua while hanging some mistletoe over the door to the kitchen. "Have you gotten the present for your secret-whatever yet?"

Rosette dropped the garland that she had been wrapping around the tree. "DAMMIT!" she screamed as she grabbed her coat and bolted out the door.

"…Typical Rosette, always late for what she does…"

"You got zat right."

X

"Waahhhh!" cried Rosette as she ran as fast as she could down the icy sidewalk. "Why does this always, always happen?" Too lost in self-pity, Rosette ran right smack into another person when she turned the corner. "Ugh," she grunted, slightly winded. "Hey, you okay?" she asked the person she hit.

"Owe… my nose…" the boy pulled a hand away from said appendage and looked at his hand; blood. He looked up at Rosette and sighed, exasperated. "I thought we were going to stop doing this?"

"I have a bad memory, okay?" It was Chrono, of course. "…" Rosette blushed and looked away. "I'm kinda in a hurry, so… can we talk later?" she began to scoot away.

"…?" Chrono cocked his head. "Are you late for something?"

"Yeah, holiday shopping. But then again, when am I never late for something?" She laughed nervously and waved goodbye, entering a mini-mall.

"…late, huh?" mumbled Chrono.

X

"Uhh…" Rosette stared at the floor map for the building, completely confused. "Why the hell does this place have to be so big?"

"HI ROSETTE!" screamed someone behind her. Rosette jumped two feet into the air, heart pounding madly. "What'cha doin', huh, huh, huh?"

Rosette shot out a hand and grasped the boy's throat. "Daisuke," she hissed, "never ever do that again, understood?" he nodded and she let go. "What're you doing here two days before Christmas?"

"I could ask you the same." He said slyly. "But me? I'm out looking for Fruits Basket volume 12! My friend, Melody, was supposed to get for me, but she couldn't find it. So she got me THIS instead!" ending his fast rant, Daisuke held up a pink and green, girly-book that had "Kamichama Karin" written on it. Rosette stared at it.

"Isn't that a girl comic?"

"Not comic—manga!" he whined.

"Whatever…" _'Jeez… Why'd Satella ever have to introduce him to this kind of Japanese stuff?"_ Yes, fans, it was Satella that turned Daisuke to the anime side (also known as the dark side). He used to be such a nice boy, and then Satella caught wind that he and Rosette were a couple. So as the "protective" guardian that she is, she gave him a few trinkets—trinkets that started the avalanche known as anime overload. The next time Rosette saw him, it was too late. She decided that they couldn't be together anymore; partly because he didn't make time for her, but mostly because he never took his eyes away from pictures of Sailor Moon.

"Bye Rosette—Ja ne!" he waved bye and left to go find another store with manga.

"Bye! …weirdo." Just then, her cell phone rang. She picked it up and a deep, scary voice said _"turn around, Rosette Christopher"_. "W-who is this?" she asked. _"It's best not to concern yourself with that. HEY SATELLA, I wanna say something to her. SHH! Joshua, be quiet! Awww…"_ Rosette turned around, and sure enough, there was Satella and Joshua hiding behind a pay-phone. "What the heck are you two doing here?" she asked hanging up her own phone.

"Vell," began Satella, wagging her finger at Rosette. "You didn't think that I'd let you be at ze party tomorrow wearing zose rags of yours, did you?"

"What're you talking about?"

"Ack, your clothes, dimvit!"

"What's wrong with what I wear?"

"It's simply dreadful!"

"Rosette," said Joshua, wrapping his arm around his sister's shoulder, "it's a treat—on us. We're taking you out clothes shopping!" With that, Satella and Joshua dragged Rosette into the nearest clothes store.

X

"Uhh…" Rosette stared at her reflection.

"Well?"

"I'm sorry, but I refuse to wear green."

"Any other forbidden colors, your highness?"

"Brown, black, and dark purple,"

"Pffpht!"

X

"Hmm… I don't like it."

"Vat?" cried Satella. "Vat's wrong with it?"

"Floral hem? I don't think so."

"Fine!"

X

"Pink for Christmas—no way!"

X

"White like snow, eh? Ugh, NEXT!"

X

"I thought I said no black!"

"Psst, Satella," whispered Joshua while Rosette's back was turned. "How 'bout we let her go to the party butt naked?" Satella laughed.

X

"…umm…I dunno…"

"Rosette," sighed Joshua, "you've gone through practically every other dress in the store—just get that one."

"Uh…okay…"

X

"Just one more day! Just one more day! Just. One. More. Day! But today's THE day!" cheered Joshua, prancing all about. "Aren't you excited, Rosette" he glanced to either side, looking for his sister. "…Rosette? Where'd you go?"

"AIEEEEEE!" she screamed from a couple rooms over. "No, no, no, no, noooooo!"

"What's wrong?" asked Joshua, peering into the living room.

"I-I-I forgot to get that secret-Santa present…"

"Well… Who're you supposed to give something to?"

"Hell will freeze over with ice-skating flying pigs before I tell you."

"Be that way,"

"I will,"

"I'm glad,"

"I'm glad you're glad."

"I'm glad that you're glad that I'm glad."

"I'm glad that you're glad that I'm glad that you're—"

"Vat are you two fighting over now?"

"Nothing…" they said simultaneously. There was a soft knock on the door. "I'll get it…" mumbled Rosette. She stood up and went over to the door. Rosette's eyed nearly popped out of her head when she saw who it was. "M-m-miss Hendric?" she stuttered.

"M-miss Christopher! What're you doing here?"

"This is my house, are you out caroling or something?"

"Err… not exactly… wow… you're Joshua's sister, aren't you?" Rosette nodded. "Hmm… I knew you two had the same last name, but wow! For a 'super genius', I'm pretty slow, aren't I?" again Rosette nodded. But no matter how slow Az is, Rosette is still a thousand times slower.

"So… what are you doing here?" (See?)

"Oh, uhh… Joshua invited me over… for… the… party…?"

"… excuse me a minute." Rosette closed the door a crack and turned around. "JOSHUA!" she screamed.

"What?"

"Why the hell did you invite our science teacher?"

"Because she'd be all alone if I didn't!"

'_Puh-leez, I bet he just wanted yet another cute girl here.'_ "Come on in," said Rosette, reopening the door.

As soon as the teacher entered, Joshua came galloping over from the dining room and gave her a great big hug. "Azzy!" he cooed.

"Oh, uh Joshua, hi!"

"…Azzy? Where the hell did that name come from?"

"It's her nickname!"

"For what? How'd you get 'Azzy' out of 'Hendric'?"

"Rosette, you're so silly!" shouted Joshua, still hugging the blushing teacher. "Her name's Azmaria, didn't you know that?"

"…" Rosette stared at him, then walked up to him, and smacked him. "Since when are you on a first name basis with our teacher?"

"Oh, uh…I don't really mind, Rosette. Besides, we're not in school right now, so I'm just a normal little girl."

"Um, okay…?"

"Oh, that reminds me," started Azmaria, "Rosette, how'd did you fail that quiz on acceleration?"

"WHAT? We haven't gotten that back yet—why are you telling me this?"

"Well… all acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 m/s/s down. You put 40 horsepower."

"…" Rosette turned away in shame. "I'm not so good at science, alright?" There was another knock on the door.

Joshua opened the door and smiled brightly. "Big Sister!" he cooed. Fiore began to step inside, but stopped when she saw Azmaria.

"Why is our PESS teacher here?" she asked suspiciously.

"Because she's cute—Err, I mean—" Fiore shot out a hand and wrapped it around Joshua's neck. "CUTE? You think she's CUTE?" he nodded as much he could in her grasp. She tightened her hold on him. "Are there any other girls that you've been cheating with?" Just then, Satella walked into the room. "…" Fiore stared up at her. "…!"

"Vat is going on down here?"

"Y-y-y-y-y-" stuttered Fiore, letting go of her boyfriend. "You're Satella Harvenheit!"

"Vell, ja! Who'd you think I was, ze Easter Bunny?"

"You're Satella Harvenheit!"

"Vat is wrong with you?"

"YOU'RE SATELLA HARVENHEIT!"

"Joshua, lebeschkin, your little girlfriend is scary me…"

"Satella…" cooed Fiore, stuck in a nostalgic trance. "I can't believe it's really you! I've been your biggest fan for practically forever!"

"Oh, um… thanks?"

"But I have to know, what are you doing here?"

"You don't know?" she shook her head. "I'm ze Christopher's legal guardian."

"WHAAAAAAAAT?" screamed Fiore. She grabbed Joshua again and violently shook him about. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" she demanded. "How could you keep this a secret from me?"

'_Well,'_ thought Rosette, enjoying seeing her brother being beaten. _'At least her mind didn't break completely.'_

"Can have your autograph?"

'_But then again, if she likes Satella this much…'_ There was yet another knock on the door. "I'll get it." After Rosette pushed Fiore and Joshua aside, she opened the front door, smiling brightly, wanting this night to hurry up and end already. That's when she remembered who else was coming. "Chrono!" she shouted, completely taken off guard by the appearance of the cute boy.

"It's freezing out here—let us in!" whined Genai, pushing his way passed Chrono. "Ooh," he let out a low whistle when he saw Satella. "Maybe tonight won't be so bad after all."

"My eyes are up HERE." growled Satella, pointing to her face.

"Move your butt, Genai!" yelled Shader, "you're not the only one who's cold!" One by one, the dysfunctional band made its way into the mid-sized apartment. And then of course IT happened. "Booze!" shouted Shader, holding up a bottle of wine.

"Yay!" cheered Satella.

"About time," complained Genai.

"Oh lord…" cried Rosette. "Satella, don't let them do this! They're underage—and so are you!"

"Don't be such a party-pooper, Rosette!"

"But…"

"Here," taunted Satella, holding out a glass of wine to her. "Try some—you'll like it!"

"Well…"

Before Rosette could take the glass, Joshua stuck his hand out and politely gave it back to Satella. "Sorry," he said, "but not tonight, okay?" With that, he confiscated all the alcohol within the apartment.

"You're no fun, Joshy!" cried Shader.

"There's more to life than getting drunk you know."

"Really? Like what?"

"Like, um… presents!" cheered Azmaria. Shader turned around to find the small girl that she'd previously over looked.

"You're so cute!" she squealed as she swept the teacher into her arms.

"Uh… Thank you?"

"I shall love you, and hug you, and call you George!"

"Wha-huh?"

"The only thing you have in common with your shows, Shader," began Viede, "is 'loony'."

"Eh heh…"

"Anyway—let's open presents!" cried Rizelle of all people, as she ran out of the room. A moment later, she came back in and asked "Where exactly are we going for this, again?" They all laughed.

Joshua led the guests into the living room while Rosette closed the door. "?" she looked outside right before shutting it and saw Chrono. "What are you doing are you still standing out there?" He just blushed and quickly scuttled inside. "…ooookaaaaay?" (This is what Chrono was doing: _'Man,_' he had been thinking, _'Rosette looks _awesomely_ sexy in that red and white, lacy cocktail dress.'_ Come on, he's a teenager, whaddya gonna do?)

X

"This for you!" cried Shader, handing a small package to Genai.

"You've gotta be kidding…"

Rosette watched peacefully as all the smiling people hunted down their secret-Santas and gave them gifts accordingly. Rosette sighed. Where was her gift? _'Stupid Joshua,' _she thought, _'I bet he forgot to put my name in the hat.'_ She bowed her head, not wanting to think about such things. She felt someone sit down next to her on the couch; it was Chrono. She stared at him for a moment.

"Um, Rose—"

"You're a mess." She said simply.

"Huh?" Chrono blinked twice, unsure of what she meant.

"Look at your hair, I mean, who the heck braided it so sloppily?"

"Um, Maggie did. She always does my hair." Rosette put her hands down on Chrono's shoulders firmly and spun him around. "W-what are you doing?" he asked nervously.

"Just keep quiet and don't fidget." Chrono felt her tug on his long braid.

"Hey, what're you doing?" he cried. "Stop, it takes Maggie half an hour to—"

"Done," said Rosette letting his plait flop against his back.

"You wha…?" Chrono twisted his arm around his back and tossed his braid over his shoulder. Rosette had braided it faster and better than Maggie had ever done so. "Hm?" Chrono looked at the end of it, there was a yellow ribbon tied in a bow to keep it in place. He blushed upon seeing his hair so neatly fixed.

"Sorry," said Rosette, "about the ribbon. I just picked something up and…" she trailed off, looking away and blushing.

"…I like it." whispered Chrono. "It's… cute."

"I thought boys didn't do cute?"

"Well… when a boy is sixteen and he looks twelve with purple hair, then it's alright."

Rosette stared at him for a moment, and then she began to giggle. "That's so lame," she said between laughs. Chrono smiled at her, it gives him a warm feeling whenever Rosette laughs or smiles.

"Oh, yeah," he said, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a small red package. "Merry Christmas, Rosette." He handed her the gift, smiling warmly.

"Uhh…" Rosette couldn't find the right words, so instead, she just opened the box. Inside was a brass pocket watch, already set and ticking away the time. "This…uh…"

"I thought it might be useful…since you're kinda late for everything." Chrono turned away. _'What was I thinking? She hates it!'_

"Chrono…" started Rosette, Chrono wouldn't turn to face her. "How much did you spend on this?"

"Huh?" Chrono couldn't help but stare at her. "Why do you ask?"

"…Well…I just don't want you spend a whole lot of money on me…that's all…" she said quietly.

"What happen to being 'just some annoying girl who was taking advantage of me being rich'?"

"…you think I'm annoying…?"

"N-no! Well, yes—but only a little!"

"…"

"No, th-that's not what I meant! See, what I was—okay, I don't know what I'm saying!"

"…eh heh… heh… ha ha ha!" Rosette began to crack up. "Ha ha ha! You really are weird, you know that?"

"Like you're one to talk." He pouted, blowing out his cheeks, Rosette laughed even harder. She practically collapsed onto Chrono; their foreheads pressing against each other. When she finally calmed down, Rosette sighed and gazed deep into Chrono's eyes.

"…Thank you Chrono. I really do like it." With that, Rosette leaned forward and covered Chrono's mouth with her own. Chrono turned bright red and closed his eyes; no complaints whatsoever to Rosette's actions. But alas, his kiss ended just as suddenly as it had begun. Rosette pulled away a few seconds later and whispered "Merry Christmas Chrono," in his ear. Chrono flopped backwards on the couch, his face still as red as a tomato.

"Finally!" cried Joshua. "It's about time you two kissed!"

Rosette and Chrono turned around to see that everyone else was staring at them. "W-were you all watching us?" stuttered Rosette.

"Well, duh! You're the ones making a scene!"

"Grr…JOSHUA!" screamed Rosette, pouncing at her brother. "You are SO DEAD!"

"Why me?" he yelled as she began her routine of strangling him. The others laughed at the two and then Satella as she tried to separate them, just like a mother would. Chrono smiled and closed his eyes, holding the pocket watch in his hand. He wished things would stay this way…forever…

X

X

X

**End Note:** MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! At last—it's finished! So…many…distractions… But no more! I hoped you liked it, it's probably not very good, isn't it? (and it's a whole lot shorter than the last chapter, (shutters) never again…). And with that:

Happy Christma-hana-kwanza-ka!

Or whatever—Happy Holidays!

—BlackRose108; 12/23/05


	8. Chapter 7

**Author' Note:** … "Please continue" "It can't be over yet"? What? What're you talking about? Where're you people getting these ideas from? (rereads last chapter) Oh…That's where. Eh heh… Sorry 'bout that, I didn't mean for it to sound like the last chapter. When it's the last chapter, you'll know—it'll have the words "THE END" written really big at the bottom. When I said I was going on hiatus, I just meant that I have to study for midterms (that, and I have like six other stories that need to be updated). And about Chrono's sappy ending, I did that to be, well, sappy. The story's gonna get pretty dark after awhile, so I'm making it as happy as I can now. But never fear! There are still many more happy chapters left (unless two of them end up being 30 pages long, then, not so much. But I swore never to write another chapter that pointlessly long again). And finally, my end note, "MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! At last—it's finished! So…many…distractions… But no more!" I meant that I'm never going to promise another holiday chapter and then start writing it two days before the promised date. I'm too young for deadlines! And for goodness sake, people! Did you honestly think that it would end there? That's like the original series ending when they met Azzy! And no I'm not mad at you all! I'm hysterical! I hadn't checked my e-mail for several days, and when I did, I cracked up! I laughed so hard! All those new messages, so little time… I thought: "Oh shit! I did mislead them, didn't I?" Then I laughed even harder. Now don't get me wrong, I wasn't laughing at you guys, I was laughing at myself for being such an idiot. I didn't realize what I had implied until just then. I'm sorry, I really, really am so sorry. I didn't mean to freak you guys out; I'm just slow is all. And let me reassure you: it ain't over yet, baby:)

Okie dokie, on to business. Yeah, I know, this chapter's really short (chapter 5 (part 6) puts it to shame) but anyway, sorry about the shortness, I'm just trying to get in a chapter before midterms. Not that I'm saying that this is a filler chapter, it builds up a lot of important thing for later chapters. And hey, do you know the phrase "jump the shark"? Well, I think I pretty much started off over the shark when I started writing this story, and by the end of this chapter, I'm back leaning over it taunting it with a big juicy steak. And now for the incredibly short chapter of ITLOARS (and sorry, no spotlight—I have to study sometime tonight):

In the Life of a Rock Star

Chapter 7: Surprise?

"Chrono and Rosette, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I—"

"Shut up, Shader!" cried Chrono, blushing very brightly.

"But Chrono-poo," whined Shader like a little kid, "you two are sooooo cute together!"

"…"

"What's wrong, cat got your tongue?"

"Go to hell."

"Ooh! How mean! Just because I'm a _Sinner_—"

"Ugh…just knock it off."

"Have you told her yet?"

"Oh, y'mean how he's really a woman?"

"Shut it, Genai."

"I think she means about the tour."

"Rizelle…"

"Poor Chrono! You won't get to see your lover for a full two months!"

"Not you too, Aion…"

"Can all of you just quit butting into his business?" called Maggie from her office. "There might not be a tour if you all keep interrupting me."

"Sorry, Mag."

"Hey, why don't you write a sonnet for her?" asked Shader as the others left and went back to whatever they had been doing. "It could be a romantic way to say that you'll never stop thinking about her." She batted her eyelashes and did the puppy dog eyes.

"Forget it."

"Do you even plan on telling her that you're going on tour?"

"…"

"Sheesh, boys…"

X

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"

"Rosette slapped her hands over her ears when the girls began their fan-girl-ness. But today, for some reason, they were more bubbly than usual. "What the hell's got them so worked up?" she screamed over the other girls to Anna.

"The Sinners are having a fan-song contest and the winner will have theirs sung by the band! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"

Rosette once again covered her ears._ 'Ugh…'_ she thought,_ 'and I thought it couldn't get any worse…'_

X

"Velcome home, min lebechkins!" cooed Satella that afternoon when Rosette and Joshua stepped through the front door.

"Ugh…How long are you going to stay here?" groaned Rosette, kicking off her shoes.

"VAT? In case you forgot, I'M paying rent for zis place, remember?"

"Says who?"

"VAT DID YOU SAY?" screamed the older woman. "Watch your tongue, young lady!"

"Make me."

"GRRRRR!"

"Can you two please not fight today?" asked Joshua tiredly, holding a hand to his forehead. "You're giving me a headache."

"Oh, boo-hoo, a headache. Why don't you just—" Joshua turned to face Rosette and she gasped. There were dark bags under his eyes and his face was flushed scarlet. "Joshua," cried Rosette panicky, rushing over to him and placing her hand on his forehead. "You're burning up!"

"It's not that bad…" he said weakly. "Besides, I have to finish my English report and—"

"No! All that you're going to do right now is go upstairs and lie down."

"But—"

"No buts! Now go to bed and we'll bring you up some dinner in a little bit."

"But—"

"Go!"

"…Fine." With that, Joshua headed upstairs. Rosette sighed and flopped down in a chair.

"…Vhy?" Rosette looked up at Satella. "Vhy do you worry about him so much?"

"Because," began Rosette quietly, "you what could happen when he's sick…"

X

"Tell her."

"No."

"Do it."

"No."

"Come on!"

"I said no!"

"What did I tell you two?" yelled Maggie.

"Sorry…"

"Do it!" whispered Shader.

"No!" Chrono whispered back.

"How do you think she'll fell if you just suddenly leave without so much as a goodbye?"

"…"

"Ha!"

"Quit!"

X

X

X

Rosette groggily walked down the stairs the next morning to find the brown carpet completely covered with crumpled pieces of paper. "Satella?" she called automatically. The model poked her head around the corner and stared up at Rosette.

"Vat do you vant?"

"Where's my floor?"

"Hm?" She looked down at her mess. "Oh, it's somewhere down there…"

"What is all this?" clarified Rosette.

"Screw-ups,"

"Of WHAT?"

"Lyrics for the Sinners' song contest."

"Oi…"

X

"Call her!"

"No!"

"Do it!"

"NO!"

"Dammit, Chrono, just call her already!" shouted Maggie.

"Fine…"

X

"This is my house, to splik for who's paying rent, woman!" Rosette's cell phone rang. "'Yello?"

"_Uh…Hi, Rosette,"_

"Oh, uh…Chrono, hi!"

"_I kinda need to talk to you, I have a surprise."_

"Can it wait?"

"_Huh?"_

"I'm kinda busy right now. Can we talk later?"

X

"Uhh…"

"_Okay, great. Bye!"_ she hung up.

"Uhh…" Chrono stared at his phone.

"Well," asked Shader, "what'd she say?"

"'Can we talk later?'"

"Too bad, guess you'll have to call her again on the bus."

"Not so much," said Maggie, coming into the room. "Everyone get in here, you're not going to like this." Once the band had assembled, Maggie took a deep breath, preparing herself for her speech. "You know I love you like family,"

"Oh God,"

"Shut up, Genai. But I'm afraid that I have some terrible news for you all."

"We're not doing the tour?" asked Shader.

"We're getting a new member?" asked Viede.

"Are salaries are being docked?" asked Aion.

"Worse," said Maggie.

X

Rosette plopped down in her seat, already tired even though it was only second period. _'I don't care WHAT they say,'_ she thought,_ '"Yo amo Chrono" does NOT count as a speaking quiz!'_ Rosette sighed. It was going to be a long day.

"Alright, class," started the teacher, "we have a few new students that will be joining us. Please come in." She turned to the door and in walked six "new students". The class gawked at them. "Please take an open seat in the back." They did so. The shortest sat down behind Rosette who turned to face him.

"Eh heh… um… Surprise?" said Chrono nervously.

X

X

X

**End Note:** Mwa ha ha… Now it won't be over for a REALLY long time. So, whaddya think? Pretty insane, right? Now if you don't think it a good idea for the band to start school (and why they did that in the first place will be explained next chapter) then just say so, and if enough of ya' don't want 'em there, then I can always just expel them. LOL:) So anyway, please R&R! (And probably the main reason for the quicky chapter is 'cuz I didn't wanna leave you guys hanging for too long). Anyhoo, now, onto studying!

Parents: Dinner's ready!

Me: Fruit! I'm never gonna get to study!

Toodles:)


	9. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:** Man, I'm NEVER gonna get around to studying for midterms…

Here's a little note for the sake of the sanity of a few individuals, the ages (in this story) of the Sinners are:

Chrono: 16

Aion: 18

Rizelle: 17

Shader: 16

Genai: 17

Viede: 17

X

X

X

"_Not so much," said Maggie, coming into the room. "Everyone get in here, you're not going to like this." Once the band had assembled, Maggie took a deep breath, preparing herself for her speech. "You know I love you like family,"_

"_Oh God,"_

"_Shut up, Genai. But I'm afraid that I have some terrible news for you all."_

"_We're not doing the tour?" asked Shader._

"_We're getting a new member?" asked Viede._

"_Are salaries are being docked?" asked Aion._

"_Worse," said Maggie. "I'm sending you all back to school."_

**In the Life of a Rock Star:**

**Chapter 8: Just a whole lot of explaining…**

"_WHAT?" screamed the band in unison._

"_Why the hell are we going back to school?" demanded Genai._

"_I thought we joined the music business to get away from that god-awful place!" protested Rizelle._

"_Well," started Maggie, "the higher-ups informed me of a little condition for all singers your age."_

"_And that is…?" they all pressed, afraid to know the truth._

"_You all have to pass the SATs before you turn 19, or you're not going to be allowed back in the band. Ever."_

"_WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?"_

X

The memory was still fresh in Chrono's mind as he slowly entered the classroom and stared into the intimidating faces of the 20-some students. Dread filled him as the teacher half-heartedly introduced him and his band to the class.

X

"_B-but," stuttered Aion, "that only gives me, like, a year!"_

"_Well…tough." shrugged Maggie, not knowing what else to say. "Rizelle, Genai, and Viede only have two years,"_

"_So that means," mumbled Shader, "that Chrono and I have three years?" Maggie nodded. "Woohoo!" cheered the cat-girl, "alright, Chrono, we're on E-Z street!" Shader tilted her head, staring cutely at Chrono. "What's wrong?"_

"_What school are we going to?" he asked quietly._

"_Oh," said Maggie, "I picked out this nice private school not to far away. It's called Seventh Bell Academy."_

X

He just knew it. Chrono knew all along that this could only end poorly. As he shuffled down the long aisle to his designated seat, an action that seemed to take forever to accomplish, his heart raced and he felt his face heat up as he saw Rosette staring at him, completely disgusted. _'What did I do to deserve this?'_ he thought hopelessly.

X

"_Seventh Bell… where have I heard that before?" pondered Shader._

_Maggie shrugged. "It's a pretty esteemed school; it's probably been in the news a lot."_

"_Oh fuck…" grumbled Genai, "is this gonna be a tight-ass, prissy school where everyone's a frickin' genius?"_

"_Ooh, Genny-wenny, are you afraid that you'll get expelled?"_

"_Shut the hell up Shader!"_

"_Knock it off you two!" yelled Maggie. "And Genai, watch your language!"_

"_Fuck off."_

_Maggie smacked him upside the head with her clipboard. "Say that in school and you WILL get expelled!"_

"_Like I care."_

"_If you're expelled then you can't pass the SATs, and if you can't pass the SATs, then you'll never be a part of this band ever again!"_

"…"

"_Good,"_

X

Chrono plopped down in the hard plastic chair, the entire class gazing at him in awe. They couldn't believe it, real live rock stars, right here in their Global History class. He could hear their whispers, each one with a different theory as to why they were here. And of course, each of them was wrong. Chrono sighed, he hated being the center off attention like THIS. Besides, it's not like he could even call himself a rock star anymore.

X

"_Also," said Maggie, breaking even more bad news to them. "You all were partially right."_

"_Huh?" asked the band._

"_You're not having the concert,"_

"_What?" cried Shader._

"_Your salaries are being docked,"_

"_No way!" yelled Aion._

"_But you're not getting a new member."_

"_Phew!" sighed Viede in relief._

"_Why no pay?" demanded Aion._

"_Why no concert?" shrieked Shader._

"_Because if you all are going to be in high school, those higher-ups suggested that I treat you all like normal teenagers."_

"_WHAT?" they screamed._

"_Starting today, you'll no, longer have your salaries. You'll get allowance, but it won't be much, so spend it wisely. And if ya want more moola, then get it job."_

"_But we already HAD a job…" sobbed Shader._

"_Get a really one. Remember; you're not rock stars, you're normal now."_

"_Since WHEN have we been 'normal'?"_

"_Since now."_

"_So…" began Viede. "Does this mean no more late night parties?"_

"_Nope, you're curfew is ten."_

"_No salaries?"_

"_No concerts?"_

"_No parties?"_

"_No cussing?"_

"_No fame?"_

"_That's right, normal school kids."_

"_But then, that also means…"_

"_Yup."_

"_Loads of homework?"_

"_Icky-mean teachers?"_

"_Cafeteria food?"_

"_Math and Science?"_

"_Dress codes?"_

"_Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes. Get used to it guys," sighed Maggie, "because until you pass those tests, you're going to be living like this for awhile. Ooh!" she reached into her pocket and took out an equal number of keys and sticky-notes. "Here's our new address and house key," she distributed the items accordingly._

"_Why can't we stay here?" asked Viede._

"_Because," huffed Maggie tired of repeating herself. "Normal kids don't live in studios or mansions, in New York, they live in apartments."_

"_How will we all fit?"_

"_It's pretty big, and don't worry," Maggie winked at them, "we'll manage. Now, your books and bags are in the other room, so I suggest that you hurry before you're late for your first day."_

X

Chrono's mind raced with all sorts of possible explanations to give to Rosette, each sounding better than the next. But unfortunately, all his stupid mouth could blurt out was "Surprise?"

X

X

X

**End Note:** Eh heh… I know, short and pretty much pointless, but I have to explain things at some point! And I think I kinda like this shorter chapter idea, I can post more stuff more often without leaving you guys hanging for too long. So I could probably do this, like, every 2 or 3 days. It'd work, or do ya'll like the longer chapters better and would just rather wait the extra week? You decide, I'm writing this for you guys.

Toodles,

BlackRose108 :)


	10. Chapter 9

Chrono: what happened to 'every two or three days'?

Me: Midterms happened—THAT'S WHAT!

Chrono: Jeez…bite my head off, why donn'cha?

Aion: Oh please—do.

Me: Why are you acting so evil?

Aion: Because I'm the bad guy, remember?

Me: But…this is different from the original story. That's why it's a fan FICTION.

Fiore: She really doesn't know?

Maggie: Nope.

Me: Huh? Wha? What're you guys talking about?

Azzy: Let's get on with the story, shall we?

Me: But—!

X

X

X

In the Life of a Rock Star

Chapter 9: What just happened?

X

X

X

Surprise? That's ALL he had to say? Rosette couldn't believe it. Her secret-boyfriend, the biggest name in New York, waltzes into her global history class and all he has to say to her is 'surprise'? Rosette wanted very much to scream her head off, but knew that she'd get into loads of trouble if she did. She refused to look at him. If anyone figured out that they were a couple, she'd be destroyed. Not popularity or status wise, no, those fan girls would literally rip her limb from limb. Rosette groaned; she was too young to die. _'But as long as I don't say anything,'_ she thought,_ 'things should be fine…I hope. Hmm…I guess it's a good thing that Joshua's not here today, 'cuz he'd probably have blabbed by now.'_ Rosette sighed._ 'Can't this day be over yet?'_ But unfortunately, only five minutes of second period had gone by thus far.

X

Ding Dong Ding Dong! (change classes)

"Finally, onto third period," Rosette groaned. _'Oh goody, only six more left. Ugh…'_

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKK!" shrieked someone behind her. "Rosette, Rosette, Rosette, Rosette, Rosettttttteeeeeee!" it was Anna. "Can you BELIEVE it? Chrono, THE Chrono—at OUR school! EEEEEK!"

"I believe you!" screamed Rosette, covering her ears. "Can you PLEASE be excited a little more quietly?"

"Sorr-EEEEEEEK!"

Rosette groaned, this was hell…

X

Ding Dong Ding Dong! (change classes)

Rosette walked out of Miss Kate's classroom, almost happily. Miss Kate was in a good mood today. She hadn't assigned any homework, they took notes for the entire class period, and luckily for Rosette, Chrono wasn't in her geometry class. The day now seemed like it would be alright, no more hassles or worries, just a normal school day.

"Rosette!" called Anna, running up to her friend. "I hate life!" she pouted. "I can't believe that Chrono wasn't in our math class! It's just not fair!"

"Ooh…Don't worry Anna," said Claire in her sweet voice, approaching the other two with Mary at her heels. "I heard a rumor that he has Choir this period."

"WHAT?" screamed Anna and Rosette together.

"That would be awesome!" cheered Anna.

"That would be awful!" moaned Rosette.

"Don't freak out just yet you two," said Mary cautiously, "there are two choir classes going on right now, he might end up in Mrs. Helen's class."

"Oh…that's right…" sighed Anna.

"That's right!" cheered Rosette. "_Run to class like there's a fire, hurry up 'cuz we have choir!_" sang Rosette proudly as she strode down the hall to choir class. Her friends groaned; there was Rosette's awful rhyme scheme and chant…AGAIN. Rosette thought that maybe, just maybe, life, the universe, and everything might cut her some slack today. But she forgot one important thing; the universe hates her. As she threw open the door to the choir room, she, as the same as all days, heard the radio playing one of the Sinners' songs. But no one was listening. They had something better than a song; the actual singers—all six of them. Rosette froze. _'No…'_ she cried out silently,_ 'how could they ALL be in MY class? How…?'_

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKK!" screamed Anna, Mary, and Claire as they rushed over to the band. "Omigosh! I love you guys!"

"You're like so totally like my fav band ever!"

"Can I have your autograph?"

Disgusting. That's the only word Rosette could think of to describe it; disgusting. Aion and Genai seemed to be soaking up their fame, and Shader was just about to do a live performance. Flocks of students swarmed around Viede and Rizelle, wanting a memento of this moment, ranging from a kiss to a flick upside the head. They were apparently used to this, because they all seemed to have a natural calm about them. Except for Chrono, that is. He was squirming in his seat, trying to hide from the vast crowd of teenagers that was suffocating him. He doesn't really need this much attention, does he? Rosette sighed. She would do one, and ONLY ONE, good deed for him. "Hey!" she yelled, getting the attention of the twenty-some students. "Leave 'em alone!" she commanded. They all stared at her.

"How come?" asked one of the boys.

Rosette's face turned grim and she said in a threatening manner "'Cuz you're pissing me off." No one had any objections.

"Alright class, settle down." said Mr. Steiner as he walked in; again, he was late. "Now I hear that we have some new students, would you all please stand up?" The band did so, some more enthusiastically than the others; Shader knocked her chair over when she bounced out of her seat, and Chrono, well…let's just say that it took more than a few seconds for him to rise. Steiner gasped.

**Steiner's POV:** the band looked dazzling in the clear, brilliant sunlight streaming through the windows. Their hair swayed beautiful from the light breeze originating from the ceiling fan, making their good-looks even more stunning. Rizelle held her hand up to her mouth and glanced over at Genai so innocently that it make Steiner's heart skip a beat. They were fabulous!

**Reality:** the band looked rather bored, and the windows had three months worth of filth built up on them and desperately needed to be cleaned. The ceiling fan stopped and started to its own beat because it was so old; its bolts coming loose, threatening to let the fan fall to the floor and chop someone's head off. Rizelle made a horrible face and pinched her nose saying "ew…what IS that smell?" Genai whispered "safety".

"W-well…" stuttered Steiner after a moment, "it's very nice to meet you all. Please, take a seat wherever you want."

"Before you know it," muttered Rosette, "he'll be asking for an autograph."

"Oh, and could you please sign this?"

"Ugh…"

"Psst, Rosette!" whispered Anna, leaning across her table.

"What?" she whispered back.

"You are soooooo lucky!"

"Why?" Anna rolled her eyes and pointed behind her friend. Rosette turned around and gasped. "Chrono?" she spat. He looked up at her with pleading eyes. Rosette glanced around nervously. "I mean—why the hell are you sitting behind me?"

"But, Rose—"

"You don't know me!" whispered Rosette desperately. "I just met you today, REMEMBER?"

"Uh…"

"Hmmm?" Rosette stretched her head, and jerked several times.

"Oh…yeah…That's right!" he chirped.

"What was that?" asked Steiner, turning away from the chalkboard.

"I…uh…um…" Chrono stuttered.

"Really," huffed the teacher, "no matter how famous you are, or how much I adore you as a fan—this is still a classroom."

"I…uh—um—" Chrono started to panic, the entire class turned in their seats to stare at him.

"So I will NOT permit any disruptions."

"Uh—um—" Chrono could hear the other kids whispering; he heard his heart pounding in his ears.

"Is that clear?" pressed Steiner, putting his fists on his hips.

"A-ano—" He didn't know what to do! When put in the spotlight, and not on stage, he actually was very nervous in front of others.

"Hm?" Steiner stared at the poor boy; he looked utterly confused and out of place. "Are you alright?"

"D-daijoubu desu!"

"…wha…what?"

The entire class went silent, everyone gawking at Chrono. A few awkward moments passed before anyone said anything.

"Uh…e-excuse me." said Chrono, standing up. He went for the door.

"That was…weird to say the least." stated one of the girls as she watched the door close behind the rock star.

"Tell me about it," said one of her friends, "why'd he go all freaky crazy like that?"

One of the boys shrugged. "When you gotta go, you gotta go."

"Mr. Steiner," called Rosette, raising her hand. "May I go to the restroom?"

The teacher sighed. "Alright, but don't take too long."

Rosette stood up and headed for the door. "No way!" pouted one of the girls. "Mr. Steiner, Mr. Steiner! I need to go to the bathroom too!"

"One at a time, you know the rules."

"Ah…" pouted the girl as Rosette went out.

X

Chrono sighed. Why did he get all flustered like that? He's a rock star for goodness' sake! He should be used to this! But alas…the piercing stares of others always seemed to freak him out. He sighed again. _'And what's worse'_ he thought hopelessly,_ 'I let IT slip out…'_

"Hey!" called someone from over by the door to the school; it was Rosette. She ran up to Chrono and smacked his head. "What the heck was THAT all about?" she demanded.

"Owe! Rosette—that hurt!" he cried, grasping his head.

"Serves you right!" she flopped down next to him on the bench. "Why did you just run off like that?" she asked more calmly.

"…" he didn't answer. He just turned away and twiddled his thumbs.

"Hey," said Rosette irritably, pinching Chrono's cheek and pulling him towards her. "I'm talkin' to you!"

"Owe! Cut it out!" he begged. "Quite it—owari!"

"Rosette let him go and stared for a moment. "O…wa…ri…? What's that?"

"Uh—!" Chrono scooted away from her a little bit. "O…wa…Oh why me! That's what I said, oh why me? Eh heh heh…" he laughed nervously.

"O…kay…" said Rosette slowly. She narrowed her gaze and glared at the boy. "But you still didn't answer my question!"

"H-huh? Oh that! Well…you see, I…" he sighed. "I don't know, I guess I just panicked, alright?"

"Okay," said Rosette simply. "Everyone gets freaked out sometimes, but you don't have to run out of the classroom." Chrono stared at her. "Come on," she said, standing up, "we'd better get back to class—the teacher's going to have a fit, we've been taking so long." She began to walk to the door, but stopped when she didn't see Chrono following her. "What are you waiting for, an invitation? Hurry up already!"

Chrono smiled. "Hai!" he shouted cheerfully as he jumped up.

"…'hi'?" asked Rosette. "What're you…"

"Err—I was just thinking how high the stairs are going to be!"

"Ugh…" groaned Rosette, slumping over. "That's right; our choir class is on the third floor. Ahh… Why can't this school have an elevator, or at least some escalators?" Chrono chuckled as he watched Rosette let out her long and frustrated cry, cursing the school's funding. As the two opened the door and felt the crisp January air be replaced by the warm heating of the school, Chrono couldn't help but to think that maybe, just maybe, school wouldn't be that bad after all…

X

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X

Chrono: Wow…

Me: What?

Chrono: That sounded a lot like an ending. Like the end end of the entire story.

Me: Then you are poorly mistaken.

Maggie: Say, what ever happened to that longer vs. shorter chapter thing?

Me: Um…

Chrono: It didn't go anywhere, did it?

Me: Not really. 2 people said they'd like shorter, and 2 people said that they'd like longer. A whole lot of people didn't say anything, and one person said that it was up to me.

Chrono: What's your point?

Me: …I don't know.

Others: Ugh…

Me: That reminds me, review people, review! Please!

Chrono: How did that remind you of that?

Me: (shrugs) 'Cuz reviews make me write faster?

Chrono: Oi… really?

Me: No. But if I take too long to update and I have a ton of reviews for the previous chapter, then I feel really bad and write more.

Chrono: Figures.

Me: Oh! That reminds me of something else. I'M GOING ON STRIKE!

Fiore: How can an authoress go on strike?

Me: By refusing to update.

Maggie: Why?

Me: Because.

Maggie: Because…?

Me: The stories I don't want to write, people love and want more. And the stories I DO want to write, people hate and don't review.

Aion: What's your point?

Me: I refuse to update ITLOARS until I get some more reviews for my Teen Titans fic "Tofu Fairytales" and/or my Tsubasa Chronicle fic "Seed".

Fiore: Sit back people, it's going to be a long wait.

Me: Not necessarily. I'd actually rather get reviews for "Seed" than "Tofu".

Aion: Are you going to tell us why?

Me: Yes. "Seed" has more chapters, and I saw it in a dream, so I really wanna write it. Plus I can't stop drawing the character Takako from it.

Aion: Should any of this be making any sense?

Me: Not really.

Azzy: So then, what's the moral of the story?

Me: Review my other crap, or else!

Aion: Poetic, isn't it?

**End Note:** Whaaa! I'm so sad! Please review "Seed"! Hell, skip the first two chapters and go straight to the third—the first action chapter! I won't hold out on ITLOARS forever, but it would be nice if people starting paying attention to my other fics. As for "Tofu" I plan to take it down within a week if people don't like it. And when I say review—I mean tell me what you really think of the story! If you don't like it, say so! A semi-nice flame ('cuz flames hurt—BAD) if you will. So whaddya think? Pweases with cherries?

Toodles (hopefully see you soon!)


	11. Chapter 10

Chrono: What happened to being on strike?

Me: I got bored.

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In the Life of a Rock Star

Chapter 10: New kid on the block

X

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X

"Come on…" mumbled Rosette.

"One more lap!" yelled Coach Gilliam, blowing his whistle.

"Just a little more…"

"Pick up the pace, slackers!"

"Almost there…"

"I said—"

Ding Dong Ding Dong! (go home before we sell you for medical experiments!)

"YES!" cheered Rosette, dashing for the locker room.

"Damn," muttered Gilliam, "I thought I had a full five minutes left."

"Sorry Coach G.," called Rosette as she ran passed her phys. ed. teacher. "These things are beyond our control!"

"Yeah, yeah…" he mumbled, "just keep telling yourself that, Miss Christopher!" Rosette giggled and showed him the victory sign. "Hm? Oh yeah, Rosette!" he called as she was about to go into the building.

"Yeah?"

"Where was your brother today?"

"Oh um…" she looked away; with all the excitement of the day, she had completely forgotten about Joshua. "He's sick…but don't worry," she reassured him, "it's just a little fever—he'll be back tomorrow for sure!"

"Take care of him, alright?"

"'Kay!" called Rosette as she finally got into the locker room to change.

X

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" screamed Rosette, chasing after the bus that was quickly escaping her. "Not… again…" she panted. "WHYYYYYYYYY? Why do I always, ALWAYS miss my bus!"

"Rosette?" Rosette turned around sharply to face the speaker; it was Chrono. "Did you miss your bus?"

"Ugh…how'd you know?"

"All the screaming kinda gave it away."

"Oh…I'll have to work on that." Chrono laughed; Rosette smiled. It seemed like Chrono hadn't laughed all day, which, the thought itself, made Rosette a little sad. But hearing him now, she felt that odd fluttering feeling in her chest again. She wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing, but she didn't really care. "?" Rosette tilted her head at Chrono, he stared back curiously. "Where's your limo or whatever?"

"!" Chrono did a double take and turned away in shame. "It's…not coming…"

"How come?"

"'Cuz Maggie's a mean, old witch!" he cried, fake tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Excuse me?" came a menacing voice from behind the two. "Just what do you mean 'old'?" Chrono turned slowly, afraid to face the dark figure; it was Maggie. "You ungrateful, little—if following orders from the higher ups makes me old, then you're at least in your 70s!" she screamed, grinding her knuckles into poor Chrono's skull.

"OWOWOWOWOWOWOW!"

"Neat trick," said Rosette, leaning over to the manager. "But it works better if you tilt you fists up a little—like this." Rosette reached over and repositioned Maggie's hands slightly on the boy's head. "Now press," Maggie did so.

"AIEEEEEEEEEE! OWWW! OWWWWWWW!" screamed Chrono.

"Now, isn't that more effective?" asked Rosette, smiling broadly.

"Yes, thank you!" said Maggie, still torturing Chrono.

"Rosette!" yelled Chrono. "Why?"

"Why what? Why do I know how to do these things so well? Well that's an easy one," she said smugly, swiping her thumb over her lip, "it's 'cuz I practice so much on Joshua and—" Rosette gasped. "Oh no! Joshua! I forgot—again! Uh…Sorry Chrono, talk to 'ya later! Bye!" And with that, Rosette took off down the side walk, narrowly avoiding an oncoming car.

"What was that about?" asked Maggie.

"Dunno…" said Chrono. Maggie looked down at him. "What?" he asked. Her glare returned and she once again drove her knuckles into his temples. "OWOWOW! I said I was sorry!"

"No you didn't!"

X

"I'm home!" called Rosette, bursting through the front door. She waited, but no annoying Satella appeared. "Hello? Anybody home?" she walked over to the kitchen and found a note on the counter. "What's this?" she mumbled as she picked it up and read.

_Dear Rosette,_

_Since you are so terribly busy with your education, I didn't want to pull you out of school for this but…Joshua went to the emergency room shortly after you left this morning. I'm sorry Rosette, but…Joshua, he's…I just can't write it. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, since you're his sister and all. But his last words before going to that better place were "tell my big sister that I love her."_

Rosette stared at the note for a minute. She crumpled it in her fist and yelled "dammit, Satella! Get out here!" She waited but no one came. She marched over to the pantry and opened the door; Satella and Joshua came tumbling out.

"Ack, Rosette!" pouted Satella. "You are no fun vat so ever, you know zat?"

"Fun?" demanded Rosette, waving the crumpled letter in Satella's face. "Why the hell would you do something like this?"

"Oh come, Rosette," pouted Joshua, sitting on the floor with a blanket draped over his shoulders. "You should loosen up a bit."

Rosette turned her angry gaze upon her brother. "YOU shouldn't be laughing; in fact, you shouldn't even be out of bed!"

"You're so mean!"

"You're so reckless!"

"Tell me," said Satella, "how did you know that the letter wasn't real?"

"That's easy," sighed Rosette, "you wrote 'tell my big sister', and it could be properly assumed that you meant me, except you forgot that Joshua never calls ME 'big sister', he calls FIORE 'big sister'."

"Vell," sighed the guardian, "at least you know your brother really well."

"I know everything about him."

"Oh really?" asked Joshua sarcastically. "Everything, huh? What color are my boxers right now?"

Rosette lifted an eyebrow and stared at him. "Blue."

Joshua gasped and turned away. "Okay, THAT'S just creepy…"

"I DO all the laundry, stupid!"

"Well you don't have to be psychic about it."

"Joshua, ALL your boxers are blue. Your briefs are white. You basically gave me the answer in the question."

"But it's still creepy!"

"Ugh…"

"So…" said Joshua after a moment, "what'd I miss in school today?"

"Well…Miss Kate was being abnormally nice, our Spanish project is due next Wednesday, and, oh yeah, the Sinners started at our school today."

"WHAT?" screamed the boy, jumping off the floor and into his sister's face. "Why didn't you come home and get me?" he shouted, spraying Rosette with spit. "I felt better ages ago—promise! Ah man…that should've been the coolest day of my life, and I had to miss it because of a stupid fever! Argh! I hate being sick!"

Rosette firmly placed her hands on his shoulders and forced him to sit down in a chair. "If you hate being sick so much, then quit jumping around. You'll wear yourself out, and then you'll get sick all over again."

"But…"

"No buts."

"You're so mean…"

Rosette sighed. "Y'know, they'll be at school tomorrow, too. So just rest up and—"

"Yes!" cheered Joshua, jumping up again. "I'll be rested and ready for tomorrow—just you wait!"

"Where're you going?" called Rosette as her little brother bounced up the stairs.

"To bed!" he answered. Rosette heard his door close and she sighed again.

"But it's only 4:30…"

"Just leave him be," said Satella, picking up some of the boxes that had come out of the pantry with her and Joshua. "Once he gets an idea in his head, there's no turning back for him."

"Yeah, yeah…" mumbled Rosette, helping Satella clean up the mess.

X

Beep! Beep! Beep!

"Ugh…stupid alarm clock…" groaned Rosette the next morning. She weakly lifted her hand out from underneath her blanket and flopped it down on the snooze button.

Chiip! Chiip! Chiip!

Rosette poked one eye open. That couldn't be her alarm clock again—she just reset it.

Chiip! Chiip! Chiip!

Rosette growled, whatever that noise was, it was annoying!

Chiip! Chiip! Chiip!

"That's it!" she screamed, throwing off her covers. She sat up and grabbed her alarm clock, turning off the alarm part all together.

Chiip! Chiip! Chiip!

What WAS that stupid noise? She looked outside her window, but there were no birds to be seen. Then what on earth was—…Rosette paused. She glanced over at the nightstand, and sure enough, there was her pocket watch, chirping away at her. She set down her alarm clock and picked up the pocket watch. She pressed down on the large button at the top of its frame and the small noise instantly stopped. Rosette stared at it, a light blush coming to her cheeks; Chrono's words coming back to her,

_Since you're kinda late for everything…_

Rosette grasped the watch tighter and scowled. _'Why that little—! When I get to school, I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind! Wake me up in the morning will he? Ooh I oughtta…'_ Rosette laughed at herself and smiled. If the pocket watch hadn't woken her up when it did, she would've probably missed her bus—again. Rosette's eyes popped open. "The bus!" she screamed, flailing out of bed. "Late, late, late!" she screeched, pulling on her uniform. She shot out of her room and down the hall to Joshua's. "Joshua, get up before—" she stopped and looked at her brother. His face was still red and sweat lined his brow. "You're still sick," she muttered. She sighed, walking back out into the hall. Satella poked her head into the hall from her own room, grumbling something like "what's all the commotion?" Rosette turned to her asked her if she could take care of Joshua again today. Satella nodded and slinked back into her room.

Rosette ran downstairs and filled a Zip-Lock bag with cereal; she figured that she could eat on the bus. "Bye Satella!" she called as she headed out the door. She dashed off down the street, hoping very much that she was on time for once. She could already see her bus stop from around the corner. She lifted her pocket watch from around her neck and glanced down at it. But before she could get the time, she bumped into someone (that'll teach her to keep her eyes on the road). Rosette stumbled back a little and looked up at the person she had hit. "S-sorry, I—" she stopped and stared at him.

As she stood there, holding her brass pocket watch, the boy stared back at her, holding a silver pocket watch of his own. He had blond hair that was plaited back into a small braid that went to the base of his neck. He was no taller than Chrono and even had the same long red coat that. His eyes were a pure golden color that seemed to glitter when Rosette gazed at them long enough. The boy smiled at her, making her blush. He lifted his hand in a small wave and said to her "Hey, what's up?" Rosette practically fainted.

X

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X

Chrono: You didn't.

Me: I did.

Chrono: You're evil.

Me: I know.

Azzy: (blushing) S-so, Miss Rose108, who IS this new character?

Me: Wouldn't you like to know?

Satella: How long have you been planning zis?

Me: Uh…

Satella: DID you plan this?

Me: Nope.

Azzy: Do you even know where you're going with this?

Me: Nuh-uh.

Fiore: Do you know how the story's going to end anymore?

Me: Vaguely.

Chrono: Then WHY did you do this?

Me: Well, I suddenly realized that he and Rosette both have pocket watches, and that he looks a lot like Chrono, too. So I thought 'Dude! I should write about this!' And I just happened to be typing in this fic at the time.

Chrono: So…

Me: Yup!

Azzy: Ugh…we're guinea pigs…

Me: Mwa ha ha! 20 points to whoever can guess the new boy's name!

Others: (groan…)


	12. Chapter 11

Chrono: Huh… I feel different, like something changed.

Me: Something DID change in you.

Aion: Ooh—did you turn him into a girl?

Chrono and Me: (glare)

Me: Not. At. All. You all are no longer a General/None genre story. You are now a Humor/Romance story!

Azzy: Why did you just change it now?

Me: Eh heh… 'Cuz I just remembered?

Azzy: Oi…

Me: You know, I feel different, too!

Satella: Vat did you smoke zis time?

Me: Hey, whaddya mean "ZIS time"? I have never done anything unlawful… concerning drugs. What I meant was—hooray! I finally did instant messager! Twice! And lost a ton of sleep in the process.

Chrono: So THAT'S why this chapter took so long.

Me: You'd better believe it.

New Guy: Wait, I feel different too. But I just came in, so the genre thing wouldn't affect me. Neither would AIM.

Me: Eh heh… Yeah… You're different because your eyes are now the correct color.

New Guy: They weren't before?

Me: No. They're gold, not blue. Go back and check, I fixed it. (thanks to **Dethfan88** for that).

Others: (stares)

Me: WHAT?

Chrono: You ACTUALLY put an effort into something…scary…

Me: Y'know, I'm GLAD that this chapter puts you to shame.

Chrono: Wait a minute—what?

Me: Here we go—next chappie!

Chrono: I have a bad feeling about this…

X

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X

The boy smiled at Rosette, making her blush. He lifted his hand in a small wave and said to her "Hey, what's up?" Rosette practically fainted. She stumbled to one side, threatening to fall over.

'_W-what's wrong with me?'_ she thought,_ 'Why do I feel so floaty all of a sudden? Why is it that the ground feels like it's disappearing from under my feet?'_ Rosette's mind swirled with flustered ideas. Being so distracted with all these new feelings, she began to lose her balance for real and topple over.

"Hey!" shouted the boy as Rosette began to faint. He dropped his school bag and dashed over to her just in time to catch her before she hit the ground. Rosette's vision blacked out and she lost all her senses. But the last thing she saw was the boy's concerned golden eyes.

X

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In the Life of a Rock Star

Chapter 11: She likes me not…

X

X

X

"…s…iss…"

Rosette could hear a faint voice reaching out to her.

"…Miss? Hey are you alright?"

She slowly opened her eyes to find that gorgeous boy leaning over her.

"Are you okay?"

"!" Rosette quickly sat up. "W-what happened? Where's the bus? Oh no! Did I miss the bus? Tell me I didn't—please!"

"Hey, hey," said the boy, waving his hands at Rosette. "Calm down, you were only out for a minute."

Rosette sighed in relief. "Good,"

The boy chuckled. "You gave me quite a scare. Do you have a fever or something?"

Rosette stared at him. "Fever…? Well, my brother is sick with one, but I'm pretty sure that I'm fine."

The boy held his chin, thinking. "Then why did you faint like that?"

Rosette blushed, she didn't want to tell him that it was because he was so cute; that'd seem like she was a stalker or something. "Hey," shouted someone coming out of the building behind them. "I saw what happened," he said. It was a small boy, a grade schooler, with big glasses and black hair. "Hey lady, have you eaten today?" Rosette shook her head. "Case closed, then! You were just really hungry!"

"Go to school, Jimmy!" shouted the cute boy.

Jimmy stuck his tongue out at the boy and said "why don't you make me, metal head?"

'Metal Head' clenched his right fist and shook it at the smaller boy menacingly. "I could if I wanted to." Jimmy took a step backwards, muttering something about being late, and then dashed off down the street. The cute boy sighed.

"…Metal head?" asked Rosette after a moment.

The boy turned to her and laughed nervously. "It's a nickname that some of my neighbors use."

"How come?"

"'Cuz I'm always blasting heavy metal music at three in the morning." Rosette giggled; the boy smiled. "Oh, by the way, my name's Edward."

"I'm Rosette, Rosette Christopher." said Rosette, holding out her hand.

"Charmed to meet you, Miss Christopher," said Ed, taking her hand and kissing it lightly. Rosette's face went bright red; he's so suave! "?" Ed looked up, then back at Rosette. "Looks like the bus is here," he said, standing up and helping Rosette up as well. He went to pick up his bag, and still holding Rosette's hand, boarded the bus.

Rosette looked around. '_Grr…only one seat left.'_ She sighed._ 'Guess I'll have to stand, again…'_

"Here," said Ed, motioning to the open seat, "you sit—I'll stand." Rosette, blushing all the while, did so.

'_Eeeeekkk!'_ she squealed mentally, _'Omigosh, he's such a gentlemen! Hm…I could get used to this…'_ "So, uh, Ed," asked Rosette, he turned to her and smiled.

"Yeah?"

"How come you were at the bus stop? I've never seen you there before."

"Oh, well, I'm a new student at Seventh Bell—actually, more like a transfer student. You see, my brother's already a senior there, and we live with my uncle, Roy, and he decided to move closer to the school so my brother could get there easier. I guess I just got caught up in it all, so now I'm going there with him."

"So…why didn't you just come here in the first place?"

"Well…let's just say that the entrance exams didn't go as planned."

"Huh? Whaddya mean?"

"Eh heh…all I'll say is: a doodle of a dog chasing its tail ISN'T the answer to 'who was the general that led the Roman army to victory against Carthage'."

"So then how'd you get in this time?"

"A little less doodling and a lot more writing goes a long way." Rosette laughed. "Hey," said Ed, getting Rosette's attention, "we're here."

Once the two had gotten off the bus and through the front gates, Ed still refusing to let go of Rosette's hand, Rosette finally thought of something. "Hey Ed, what's your class schedule like?"

He finally let go of her hand and thought for a moment. "I think I have first period with Señor Ricardo, and then second period with Mrs. Grace."

"…You mean, like, Spanish and Global History?" he nodded. Rosette had to try with all her might not to scream. _'This is heaven!'_ she thought,_ 'The universe DOES like me, it really DOES!'_ She suppressed a giggle before asking "So…what do you have third period?"

"Miss Hendric's class, I think."

"Oh…" said Rosette, slightly disappointed. "And after that?"

"St—"

Ding Dong Ding Dong! (get to class or we'll release the hounds!)

"Oh, see you in a little bit!" called Ed as he ran for the front doors.

"Yeah…" sighed Rosette dreamily.

X

"Tenemos una estudiante nueva hoy. Se llama Eduardo." announced Señor Ricardo to the class. Rosette showed a very big smile when Ed walked in. _'Yes,'_ she thought, _'today is going to be a VERY good day…'_

X

"Alright, class," said Mrs. Grace, turning to face her students. "You all have a test over the Catholic Reformation in two days, so we're going to be spending today and tomorrow reviewing." Rosette looked around the classroom, scanning every face, but she couldn't see Ed anywhere. She sighed and slumped down in her desk, thoroughly disappointed.

"Psst," she heard behind her. "Hey Rosette," it was Chrono, "what's wrong?" But before Rosette could answer, Mrs. Grace whipped around and chucked a piece of chalk at Chrono, hitting him square in the head and leaving a bright red mark.

"Quiet, you!" she yelled.

X

Ding Dong Ding Dong! (change classes)

Rosette walked out of Miss Kate's classroom in silence. Mary, Anna, and Claire soon caught up with her, but they also said nothing. After a few moments Rosette decided that it was time to speak again. "That was disturbing." she said.

"I know…" said Anna.

"Mundo creep-ola." said Mary.

"I miss the old Kate." stated Claire. The girls thought back to the good old days, the days when Miss Kate would lose her temper over the tiniest things, but more specifically; Rosette. Oh, how she used to nearly snap students' necks, or dish out three chapters worth of homework in one night. That gnarled face, those fists of death, just thinking about it made the girls nostalgic. But now, (shudders), now Miss Kate was so happy, nothing made her snap! There hadn't been an assault in three days! The only questions the girls could think of were: What was she smoking? Where'd did she get it? And how could she afford for it on a teacher's salary?

Anna stopped and grinned wickedly. "Oh girls…?" she cooed. "Do you remember who's in our choir?" Mary and Claire's faces lit up. "Chrooonnnoooo!" they sung together. The three girls began to giggle madly, quickly scooting along to the choir room. When they arrived, they swung the door open and rushed over to the rock star; chanting their love of him. Rosette sighed.

"Gets old after awhile, doesn't it?" asked someone behind her. Rosette whipped around, making herself dizzy, and the fact that who she saw was drop-dead-gorgeous made her even more dizzy. Ed waved at her. "'Sup?"

Rosette turned bright red; she felt those butterflies begin to flutter around in her stomach again. "Uh—h-hi!" she stuttered. Ed chuckled.

"Sorry," he said.

"Eh? For what?"

"I think I told you that I had Mrs. Grace second period. My teacher's name is actually Miss Trace."

"Th-that's okay!" squeaked Rosette, still a little flustered. "It's your first day—I couldn't expect you to know your schedule already!"

Ding Dong Ding Dong! (start class, or we'll dock your pay!)

"Quiet down everyone!" yelled Steiner, walking in at the last moment. "Now, I believe that we have yet another new student with us. Would you please stand up, Mr. …uh…"

"Elric," said Ed, rising from his seat, "Edward Elric." He grinned broadly at the class, making most of the girls blush. But then Aion, being the glory hog that he is, nudged Genai and Viede and made them do a Kodak-moment-dazzle-grin with him, effectively drawing the attention of the girls back to them. Ed huffed and flopped back down. He leaned over to Rosette and whispered "self-esteem issues, much?" Rosette giggled.

Chrono glared at the boy sitting in front of him. _'Is this guy the reason why Rosette seemed so distant today?'_ Chrono shook his head. _'Nah…he's just a new kid and Rosette's just trying to make him feel welcome.'_ Chrono nodded in agreement with himself. But when he saw the boy lean over to Rosette and whisper some remark that made her giggle, Chrono clenched his fist. _'Just trying to make him feel welcome…'_ he told himself.

"Oh no…" mumbled the teacher, riffling through his tot bag. "Where is…?" he groaned, starting another search through his belongings. Steiner sighed. "Well class," he began sadly, "it seems that I have misplaced my lesson plans…again."

Ed once again leaned over to Rosette and whispered "Is he senile or just stupid?" He then pointed to Steiner's roller-chair that was sitting opposite the desk. On it was the manila folder that teachers keep lesson plans in. Rosette quickly buried her face in her hands; shoulders trembling, trying very hard not to crack-up.

'_Just trying to make him feel welcome, just trying to make him feel welcome…'_ Chrono kept repeating in his head. He opened his eyes and glance over at Rosette again. The new kid was leaning over to her and grinning while she was trying her best to stifle a laugh. _'Just trying to…'_ "That's it!" yelled Chrono, quickly rising to his feet and slamming his hands down on the table. The entire class turned and stared at him.

"What do you mean?" asked Steiner, utterly confused.

"What he means is," said Shader quickly, covering for Chrono's blunder. "He's going to sing to make up for the lost lesson!"

"WHAT?" shouted Chrono, whipping around to Shader.

"Brilliant idea!" said Steiner.

"YAY!" cheered the class.

"But—But—" stuttered Chrono. "SHADER!" he whispered angrily, "I'm not going to sing!"

"Deal with it!" she whispered back. "You're the one that started this!"

"How about 'rewrite'?" suggested one of the girls.

"Yes," said Shader, trying to keep her cool. "Why don't you sing 'rewrite' for us?"

"No way!" spat Chrono.

"Do it!" hissed Shader.

"Sing, sing, sing!" chanted the class while Chrono tried to get out of it. The students started to become impatient; a thick feeling, like the one before a riot, began to seep into the air.

"Hey," said Ed, standing up and picking up one of the guitars from its stand (the choir room they were in was also the band room). "You wanna hear 'rewrite', right?"

"Pfftht!" snorted one of the boys. "Like you can sing it—it's THEIR song!"

"Oh yeah?" taunted Ed, beginning the intro to the song.

Rosette sat back in her chair, curious to see how Ed would do.

_kishin da omoi o hakidashitai no wa_

_sonzai no shoumei ga ta ni nai kara_

Rosette leaned forward, propping her chin in her hands. _'Wow…'_ she thought, _'he's really good…'_

_tsukan da hazu no boku no mirai wa_

_"songen" to "jiyuu" de nujun shiteru yo_

Chrono growled. _'Show off…'_

_yugan da zazou o keshi saritai no wa_

_jibun no genkai o soko ni miru kara_

Ed glanced down at Rosette and she smiled up at him and gave him a thumbs-up. Ed winked, making her blush. Chrono clenched his fists tighter, forcing himself to stay seated this time.

_jiishiki kajou no boku no mado ni wa_

_kyonen no KARENDAA hidzuke ga nai yo_

Ed slammed a few cords, going into the chorus and getting his audience riled up.

_Keshite! RIRAITO shite!_

_kudaranai chou gensou_

_wasurarenu sonzai kan o_

_kishikaisei!_

_RIRAITO shite!_

_imi no nai mousou mo!_

_kimi o nasu dendouryoku!_

_zenshin zenrei o…_

_kure yo…_

_oohhh…_

He ended the song short, but the class loved it nonetheless. They cheered and wooted for him. Ed even got a little silly and took a goofy bow.

"Alright, Ed!" cheered Rosette, whistling. Ed stuck his hand behind his head and laughed; Rosette giggled along with him.

The entire class wanted an encore! They refused to stop clapping until Ed played another song. They were shouting things like "You rock, Ed!" "That was awesome!" and "You're better than Chrono!" Even Shader was chanting for him.

Speaking of Chrono, though, he had given up on being mad. Instead, he quietly got out of his seat and slinked away into the hall with his backpack. He sat down outside the closed door to the choir/band room and waited for the bell to ring. Unfortunately, before it could, Chrono had to listen to Ed play another song for his adoring fans. Thank goodness it wasn't one of the Sinners' songs this time.

As the minutes ticked away and Ed was done performing, Mr. Steiner finally found his lesson plan and begun a shorted version of it. No one seemed to notice that Chrono was missing, but he was glad that they didn't. He didn't want to go back in there and have to watch Rosette laugh and smile at whatever that Elric guy said. Chrono drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs, burying his face. _'Why?'_ he thought. _'Why does Rosette smile so much when she's around him? Didn't she know that I was right there? Did she even care?'_ Chrono held his legs tighter—it made his stomach sick to think about Ed with Rosette. Tears stung at the corners of his eyes, but he held them back. _'Why can't she laugh like that for me?'_ He heard a small crash from inside the classroom and the entire class crack-up. But above everyone else's voices, he heard Ed and Rosette the loudest; and a single tear slipped down Chrono's cheek.

X

Ding Dong Ding Dong! (change classes, you scallywags!)

The door to the choir room swung open and the students begun to pour out; all chatting and complaining about their next class. Chrono lifted his head a little just in time to see Rosette walk out with Ed; holding hands. They didn't even see little Chrono down there on the floor. He wanted to cry again, but resisted it when he heard a voice address him. "Chrono?" it was Shader. "What'cha doin' down there?"

He shook his head and stood up. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and muttered "I have to get to class."

"But," started Shader as he walked away, "we have lunch next…"

X

"So…" started Rosette, sitting down at one of the tables with her lunch tray, "when do I get to meet your brother?"

"Hm?" Ed looked up at her with his fork dangling from his mouth. He shrugged. "I haven't seen him all day." He said, taking his fork into his hand.

"Hey, Rosette?" asked Anna, sitting down beside the two. "Didn't you say that Joshua was out sick today?" Rosette nodded. "That's weird…I could've sworn that I saw him while on my way to the cafeteria."

Rosette blinked. "Huh?"

X

'_She likes Ed…She likes me. She likes Ed…'_ thought Chrono as he picked off petals from a dandelion. He wasn't hungry; he wasn't even in the cafeteria. He had decided to go outside and hide in one of the nooks of the outer walls where no one would find him. _'She likes Ed…She likes me. She likes…'_ Chrono stopped before he could pull the final petal off. He grunted and crumpled what remained of the flower in his hand and threw it away. _'What does some stupid flower know about this?'_ he thought angrily. _'Nothing! That's what! …Just like me…I don't know what's going on either…'_ He raised his hand and placed it over his heart, which for some reason, ached like it never had before. He felt tears threatening to fall again. He shook his head roughly. "No!" he told himself. "I'm not going to cry! If Rosette likes someone else, that's fine with me! It…really…is…" His arms went limp and his chest felt squeezed shut, making it seemingly impossible to breathe. "It…is…" he repeated. He bit his lower lip, forcing back tears once more. He moaned. "Why, Rosette? Why are you doing this to me?"

X

"Welcome, students," greeted Mr. Remington, "to another lesson on poetry." No one groaned or complained. When it came to Mr. Remington's class, poetry was always welcomed. Somehow, he made it fun. "Edward?" asked the teacher. "I understand that you're a new student. Would you care to read some free verse for us?" Ed nodded, and Remington gave him a moment to compose something. Edward then stood up, cleared his throat, and began.

_Her sweet smile brightens the room,_

_Her beautiful eyes sparkle cornflower blue_

_Her golden hair glistens in the country sun_

_She is my one and only._

When Ed sat down again, the class, and even the teacher, applauded him. Rosette smiled at him with sparkly eyes. "What's gotten into you?" she shook her head and said "nothing," quite dreamily.

Chrono didn't look up. He tried to tune out everything around him; focusing only on the groove that he was engraving into the desk with his pencil. Chrono sighed, it was times like this that he hated being in five of Rosette's classes. The lead of his pencil snapped. _'Five…?'_ he asked himself._ 'Oh no… that means that next period I have…'_

X

"I want three laps out of all of you today—no exceptions!" yelled Coach Gilliam as the gym class lined up at the starting line. "You all are going to run the mile in two days, so consider this practice!"

Chrono groaned; this is exactly why he hadn't wanted to come back to school. If there was one thing more horrible than dieing, it was physical education. Gilliam blew his whistle, signaling the class to start. The all broke away from the starting line in one huge group, slowly spreading out into their own speed limits. Chrono was of course dead last. He looked up a ways to the upper-middle section of the group where Rosette was keeping her pace nicely. Chrono smiled, Rosette was always trying her hardest, but he knew that eventually she would get tired and drop back to where he was, just like she had yesterday.

"Woohoo!" cheered Rosette, "Way to go, Ed!"

Chrono scowled. Why did she have to say that? Why couldn't she just let him forget about the last several hours of his life? But nevertheless, Chrono glanced up at the front of the runners. What was Rosette talking about? Ed wasn't in the lead!

"Hey, Slow-poke, what's up?" asked Ed as he dashed by Chrono.

Chrono stared…and stared…and…you get the idea. _'HE LAPPED ME!'_ he screamed silently,_ 'he actually lapped me!'_ Chrono, now with a strange new feeling of power, began to speed up. This was awesome! The wind whipping through his hair, the exhilarated sensation, the fact that in mere seconds, he'd no longer be in last place! "Ack!" Chrono tripped; a sudden pain in his side; the remainder of the runners slowly escaping him.

"Hey," asked someone approaching Chrono. "Are you okay?"

Chrono looked up at the person; it was Ed; which means that he had lapped Chrono—again. "Perfectly," grunted Chrono. Ed shrugged and continued his running. Chrono lay on the ground for a few moments, watching others run passed him, beginning their second lap.

"Great work, Elric!" congratulated Coach G. "I've never seen a better time, especially for someone with your condition! Which means…" he began irritably, "that the rest of you need to pick up the pace! This guy's from a different school! Which means that I've been going easy on you!" he blew on his whistle and the class groaned.

X

Eventually, Chrono had gotten back up and finished his three laps. And by the time he crossed the finish line for the final time and collapsed from exhaustion, everyone else had long since finished. As he lay on the ground panting, he once again heard Rosette praising Ed. "I don't have the energy for this…" mumbled Chrono, slowly sitting up.

"Hey Rosette!"

"Yeah?"

Chrono turned to face Rosette again to see Anna running up to her.

"I just saw him again!"

"What're talking about?"

Anna tsk-ed, but continued nevertheless. "Joshua! When I came out of the restroom just now, I saw him!"

"Are you sure it was him?"

"Yes!"

"Coach G.?" called Rosette. "May I go to the restroom?"

"Are you done with your laps?" Rosette nodded. "Then, sure, knock yourself out."

Rosette then dashed off towards the building with Anna and Ed behind her. "Mind if I come?" asked Ed.

Rosette blushed and shook her head. "No! Not at all!"

Chrono watched the trio running towards the school, but was too tired to follow.

X

Rosette burst through the side doors and ran straight for the restroom, stopping in front of them. "Where did you see him?" she shouted. Anna pointed across the hall to the black-box theater. "Wait a minute…He doesn't take any theater classes, so why—"

"I'm telling you I heard someone out here!" came a voice from the theater room.

"It's a hallway, Joshua, of course there's going to be someone out there."

Joshua came out of the theater room and stared at the three people in front of him. "Oh, hi Rosette!" he said smiling.

Rosette rushed up to him like she was going to kill him, but instead only got up in his face and shouted "Why are you here? You're sick—you should be at home resting!"

"But I HAD to come! I would've been thrown out if I had missed—"

"WHAT?" she screamed. "Thrown out of WHAT?"

"The play. Today's the first practice and if I missed it, I would've been thrown out."

"Your health is more important than a stupid play!"

"Who is it, Joshua?" asked a small voice. Then, from out of the theater stepped a large suit of armor.

Said suit looked over at Ed and waved. "Hi, Brother!"

"AL!" screamed Ed. "What the hell?"

"Y-your brother is a s-suit of armor…?" asked Rosette, extremely confused.

The suit laughed and shook its head. He reached up and opened his chest plate, revealing a boy no older than 14. "It's just a costume for the play!" he said smiling.

"B-b-b-b-b-but…!" stuttered Rosette. "I thought you said your brother was a senior!"

"He is," huffed Ed. "Stupid S.O.B.'s smarter than hell." The boy in the suit laughed.

"And he's still taller, too…" said Rosette, stunned.

Ed twitched. "WHO'RE YOU CALLING SHORT?" he screamed. "MICROSCOPIC? OR—"

"I-I didn't say any of that!" cried Rosette.

Al laughed. "Don't worry, he always gets like this whenever someone mentions the 'S' or 'T' words. He's just short-tempered is all."

"I AM NOT SHORT!"

"See?"

Rosette and Anna laughed as Al flopped one of the armor's hands down on Ed's head. Ed turned slowly and looked up at his brother. "Y'know…that thing's REALLY heavy."

Al laughed. "Sorry…"

Ding Dong Ding Dong! (go home so we don't have to pay the teachers anymore!)

Rosette glared at Joshua again. "Hurry up and get ready. When we get home I'm going to make you—"

"You're one to talk." said Joshua.

"Huh?"

He pointed at her clothes. "You still need to change."

Rosette looked down at her outfit. "Oh CRAP! I'm going to be late, late, late!" she screamed as she ran off back to the locker rooms with Anna.

On their way, they passed Chrono. Rosette, being too distracted by her lateness, didn't say anything. Anna blushed and said 'hi'. Chrono grumbled something like a hello and continued walking. Anna's face went bright red. "Did you hear that?" she asked Rosette. "He talked to me! ME!" she giggled. Rosette ignored her and Anna growled. "That was rude, y'know! You can at least say 'hi' to the one and only Chrono!"

"Huh? Did you say something?" asked Rosette looking back at her friend.

Anna groaned. "Never mind…"

X

Chrono walked up to the two Elric siblings and glared at Ed. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and he refused to remove his scowl from his face. "Hey," he said darkly to get Ed's attention.

"What do you want?" asked Ed.

"…Stay away from Rosette, or else."

"Or else what?" taunted Ed, cracking his knuckles.

X

X

X

Azzy: Wow…that ending sucked.

Me: Who cares? I delivered a long chapter this time, so it doesn't matter.

Azzy: So…shorts chaps mean good endings and long chaps mean crappy endings?

Me: Pretty much.

Azzy: Oi…

Me: Oh yeah! Now, for 5 points, what—

Fiore: There you go with the point thing again. What's up with that?

Me: Guh? Didn't I already explain?

Others: NO.

Me: Oh, then let's do that now, shall we? Alright (clears throat and prepares to do advertisement) Have you ever wanted to read/see the Sinners' in bunny suits? Or for Joshua to get jiggy with Az?

Rosette: No!

Joshua: Yes.

Me: Then this is your chance! Consider it a contest—

Azzy: You're not allowed to do contests.

Me: —an opportunity, I (as have been proven by adding Ed) can and will do any weird thing that comes to mind. So, I've set this thing up where I ask questions and you all answer for points (as in last chapter I had the 20 point question where I'm glad a lot of you answered). First to 100 points (and maybe 2nd and 3rd, who knows? I'm making this up as I go along) gets to tell me what they want to see in the story, and I make it happen!

Chrono: There has to be a catch. What's wrong with this offer if you win?

Me: Well…I'd definitely say that Rose/Az "action" is prohibited…along with any dude on dude stuff. Other than that, pretty much anything goes.

Chrono: Even bringing in non-Chrono Crusade characters?

Ed: I'd say that'd be a YES.

Chrono: Hey…What're YOU doing here? This is CC characters only!

Ed: You've been proven wrong many times, and this is one of them.

Chrono: Grr…

Me: Quiet, yous! (smacks with newspaper) Anyway, as long as the request isn't too far out there (and that'd have to be pretty far) or exceed the rating, then its good!

Azzy: And if it makes no sense to the authoress, then she'll ask you for another idea! Even pan out the chapter it'll be in with you!

Me: Hey! Someone's finally catching on!

Azzy: That's because I'm a teacher…THAT and you wrote me to do so.

Me: Ahh…I love my job!

Azzy: Do you get paid?

Me: …CRAP! Anyhoo, I'll keep track of this on my own so you don't have to. And you can send answers via e-mail, personal message, or review, that's all 'cuz I'm too lazy for anything else. And once the chapter that the question was in is no longer the most recent update, the question is null and void, but feel free to answer it for fun anyway.

Ed: So…how many got the 20 pointer?

Me: Five. Now, here're the questions for this chappie:

**5 points: What is the name of the show (Japanese or English) that Jimmy is from?**

**10 points: What is the name of the play that Joshua is in?**

**15 points: (Riddle) What starts with the prefix of "prefix" and ends in a sad emoticon? (Hint: Joshua loved it in ch. 4 (pt. 5))**

Chrono: Are those supposed to be hard?

Me: Not if you were paying attention. And if 'ya need to look back at previous chaps for answers, go ahead, I can't stop 'ya.

Satella: Vat if we find zis to be a horribly stupid idea and a complete vaste of everyone's time? And zat you shouldn't be so lazy and come up vith your own ideas?

Me: Then say so. If everyone (or just a lot of people) don't like this idea, then I'll scrap it. Other than that, one last thing (bows down to Ed)

Chrono: What the hell are you doing?

Me: When I tacked him into the story, it was a spur of the moment thing. But now I realize that he makes every random idea I have fit. You are the glue of this story! (bows again)

Ed: Uhh… You're welcome?

Me: Now people—review!

Azzy: You don't have cosmic power to make them, you know.

Me: Hey, can't an authoress try?

Azzy: Oi…


	13. Chapter 12

Chrono: Again, what happened to every 2 or 3 days?

Me: A rut, a rut! I hit a rut, okay?

Ed: DON'T CALL ME A RUNT!

Me: Ugh…not you…

Chrono: Y'know, I just realized something.

Me: GASP! You actually conjured something in that tiny brain of your? Amazing.

Chrono: Ha ha, very funny. But seriously, I just realized that this fanfic is anything BUT Chrono Crusade.

Me: Prove it.

Chrono: I could get you in trouble, but then I'd be out of a job.

Me: HA! You can't even talk the talk!

Chrono: Grr…one of these days…

Me: So what'd I do wrong?

Chrono: It just sounds like Furuba and Kamichama Karin and CCS and—

Me: Ooh! I'm soo scared—you can name other series and fanfics! (laughs at Chrono)

Chrono: QUIT IT!

Me: Never. (laughs even harder)

Chrono: It's bad enough you turned Rosette against me!

Fiore: What're you going to do, bash her head in with a baseball bat?

Chrono: GRAGH! (bashes authoress' head in with a metal baseball bat)

Fiore: I WAS BEING SARCASTIC!

Chrono: Hm? You were?

Azzy: (looks at bloody mess on floor) What're we going to do now?

Chrono: Throw her in a ditch?

Fiore: NO! Call an ambulance! Who'll tell the story now?

Ed (with Al): Never fear—the Brothers Elric are here!

Azzy: Is that anything like the Brothers Grimm?

Ed: Uhh…I guess?

Azzy: That movie sucked—you're not allowed to tell the story.

Ed: Spoil sport…

X

X

X

**In the Life of a Rock Star**

**Chapter 12: Mother**

X

X

X

"Ah, man," whined Rosette as she and Anna headed back to the theater room. "I can't believe that I forgot to change—I bet I looked like a complete idiot in front of Ed!"

Anna laughed. "Don't sweat it Rosette, I'm sure he still—" Anna stopped and stared ahead.

"What is it?" asked Rosette, coming up to her friend. Anna pointed over to the large group of students that were crowded around the theater room.

"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" they chanted. Rosette, without thinking, dashed off towards the group. She pushed and shoved through the mass, barely squeezing out in the center of the circle only to find Chrono and Ed in a fist fight. Well…actually, more like Chrono swinging his arms wildly at Ed, who was keeping him at bay with his left arm.

"What's your problem?" shouted Ed over the chanting of the spectators. Chrono growled, swinging his arms even faster. Ed sighed. "If it's a fight you want…" he began, letting Chrono go. The other boy backed a few feet away and then charged at Ed at full force. Chrono drew his arm back and swung at Ed, who dodged the attack his ease. "Then it's a fight you'll get." finished Ed, bringing his right arm back.

Before he knew it, Chrono was forced to the ground; a burning, throbbing ache spreading through his cheek. Ed had slugged him—hard. "What the hell?" screamed Rosette. The two boys turned to her. Chrono stared in pure horror, he hadn't intended for her to see that. Ed looked up at her, not at all surprised.

"Ask him." he said, pointing to Chrono. Rosette glared down at the boy on the floor.

"Rosette, I—"

"Shut up!" she screamed, Chrono flinched backwards, cowering under Rosette's wrath. "I don't care what you were doing—just don't do it again!" She went over to Ed and took his arm into her hand. "Come on," she said, pulling him away from the scene, "let's go." Ed went along with her, disappearing into the crowd. Chrono stayed on the floor, not moving an inch. His head buzzed with the pain of his cheek combined with the loud whispers of the crowd. He jammed his eyes shut, holding back tears. He wanted it all to go away. For everything to just be over, right then and there, he could care less if he dropped dead. But fortunately, today was not the day for that. He heard someone step up in front of him. He opened his eyes and looked up to find Rizelle towering over him.

"Get up," she barked. Chrono winched at the command but didn't move. Rizelle scowled. "GET, UP." she yelled. Chrono scurried to his feet. He glanced to his right and saw Genai and Viede glaring viciously at the crowd. Aion was at the back of the group, ushering everyone away. When most of them had cleared, Shader came running up to Chrono.

"Are you alright?" she squeaked, her large glasses slipping down her nose. Chrono looked away with no definitive answer. Shader narrowed her gaze and cupped Chrono's uninjured cheek in her hand and made him face her. "You really worried us, you know." she said gently, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping away some blood. Chrono winced, pain shooting through his cheek when Shader dabbed at it with her cloth. "Do you know why that boy wanted to fight you?" Again, Chrono didn't answer.

"He didn't," said Aion, coming towards them after he was sure that he'd shooed any unwanted peering eyes away. "Chrono started it."

Shader looked at the small boy, confused. "You did?" Chrono gave a small nod. "But why?" he lowered his gaze, not meeting Shader's again.

"Don't make him talk about it," said Viede, "it'll only hurt him more."

"Eh? How come?" Chrono pushed Shader's hand away, walking away from the group.

"That's right," called Genai, "walk away from your problems. That'll solve everything."

"Genai!" hissed Shader, elbowing him.

"He's right," said Rizelle sadly, "it won't solve anything."

"But…"

Chrono opened the front door of the school and stepped outside, leaving his friends behind. He continued on his way, not quite sure of where he was going.

X

"I hope he's alright." said Rosette worriedly. Joshua coughed and Rosette glared up at him. "I told you you were sick." she pouted.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"I'm sure he's alright," said Ed, not looking up at Rosette. "Chrono, I mean. I didn't hit him that hard. But then again…it probably still hurt like hell."

Rosette turned to Ed. "Why were you two fighting?"

Ed shrugged. "He started it, I'm not sure why, though."

Rosette frowned. "It's not like him to do that,"

"Hey," said Ed, finally turning to face Rosette. "How close are you two?"

"Who?"

"You and Chrono; I dunno…he was acting kind of jealous."

"I don't know why he would be. He's rock star, I'm just an ordinary school, see the difference?"

"Bu—" started Joshua before Rosette jabbed him with her elbow. "Oof!" he coughed; Ed didn't notice.

"So…uh, Ed," began Rosette, blushing. "Are you doing anything tonight?"

He thought for a moment. "I don't think so, why do you ask?"

Rosette smiled broadly, excitement filling her. "I was just wondering if you'd like to—"

"Rosette," said Joshua quickly, cutting his sister off. "Aren't you forgetting what Satella had planned for us tonight?" Rosette stared at him, completely confused. "That's right," he said nodding, obviously making this up as he went along. "We were going to go do that thing together. You know what I mean."

"No," she pouted, setting her hands on her hips, "I don't. Would you care to elaborate on what 'that thing' is?"

"Uhh…That thing that was a surprise for Satella?"

"I thought that we were doing 'that thing' with Satella?"

"Umm…"

"It's alright," said Ed standing up. "I just remembered that I need help with my homework tonight—" he groaned, "—from Al…" Ed started to head off the bus with his own brother; Rosette just then realizing that this was also her stop. She quickly chased after the Elrics, dragging along Joshua as she did so. "See you tomorrow, Rosette!" called Ed as he entered the apartment building behind the bus stop.

"Bye…" said Rosette sadly as she watched the door close behind him. She turned to Joshua, who was slowly trying to escape. "Why did you do that?" she snarled.

He stopped and turned to face his sister. "Why?" he asked. "I'll tell you why, but don't you think that you're forgetting someone?" Rosette stared at him, puzzled. Joshua sighed and held his hand up. "He's about yea tall, almost always has a red coat on, and is very confused as to why you're cheating on him." Rosette blinked, still not knowing what he was talking about. Joshua rolled his eyes and let his hand fall against his leg. "Y'know what? If it's this easy for you to forget about Chrono, then I say that he deserves better—A LOT better." Joshua turned on his heel and continued on home.

"What're you talking about?" demanded Rosette, running up to her brother. "Chrono and I are just friends."

Joshua stopped again and glared at her. "JUST friends?" he asked coldly. "I hope you're not just saying that because of Ed. Because three days ago, you would've been blushing like there was no tomorrow at the mention of Chrono." He readjusted his backpack on his shoulders and began to walk again. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to hurry up and get home so I recover from my fever." Rosette huffed and made a face, but followed him nevertheless.

X

"Welcome home!" called Maggie cheerfully as her six band members walked into the apartment.

"What's so good about it?"

Maggie blew out her cheeks and turned to Genai angrily. "Genai, why do you have to be so pessimistic?"

The boy blinked at her. "I didn't say anything." he said simply.

"Then who…?" Chrono dropped his backpack by the kitchen table and went upstairs. "What's gotten into him?"

"He's just upset because Ros—" Before Genai could finish, Shader elbowed him in the stomach. "Whaddya do that for!" he screamed.

"You don't need to be talking about that. So just drop it."

Genai growled, but gave up on the topic, grumbling a small "whatever" as he went to get a snack from the fridge.

X

Chrono tweaked a few strings on his guitar; at least they had been allowed to keep their instruments. He was sitting in his room, alone with all the lights off. Chrono sighed. _'Why does love have to be so confusing?'_ He began to strum a few cords, feeling the beat of a song. _'What happened to the good old days? It used to be about the music. But now…'_ He sighed again, not knowing what to think. Maybe all of this was just part of that 'coming-of-age' thing, who knows? Chrono continued to play his little melody, thinking back to when he lived with his mom. _'She had been a musician herself, and had helped me compose my very first song; this song. Although, by the time we had finished the tune, it was time for me to go live with Dad again.'_ Chrono's expression became more sullen._ 'He was always so busy. But then again, he was an important executive.'_ He closed his eyes, thinking back to that year he had spent with his father. _'Even though he had a ton of work, he would always help me with the lyrics in what little spare time he had.'_ Before he knew it, Chrono had begun to slowly sing his song.

_Fukai… fukai mori no oku ni… ima mo kitto_

_okizari ni… shita kokoro… kakushite'ru yo_

_sagasu hodo no chikara mo naku… tsukarehateta_

_hitobito wa… eien no… yami ni kieru_

Chrono paused his song and took a deep breath. He pushed every thought of his new life out of his mind and imagined that he was that little kid again, playing his new song for mommy and daddy.

_chisai mama nara kitto, ima demo mieta ka na_

_boku-tachi wa, ikiru hodo ni_

_nakushite'ku, sukoshi zutsu_

_itsuwari ya, uso wo matoi_

_tachisukumu, koe mo naku_

X

Shader and the others peered through the door to Chrono's room. It was only a crack open, but they could still make out the tiny figure of their friend. "He hasn't played that song in years," whispered Shader. "And he only plays it when he's really, really down."

"What do you plan to do about it?" asked Genai. "Slap Rosette a thousand times over until she agrees to come back to Chrono?" Shader smacked him. "Owe!" he hissed. "I'm just saying…"

"Genai has a point," whispered Rizelle, "there's really nothing we can do about it."

"What're you guys doing?" asked a voice from behind the group. They fell over out of their stacked formation and stared up at Maggie.

"Geez!" yelled Aion, holding his hand up to his chest. "You freaking gave me a heart attack!" Maggie rolled her eyes. The door that they had been spying through suddenly closed and they heard the lock click; Chrono had heard them.

"Way to go," said Viede, standing up.

"It's not my fault!" pouted Aion.

"Knock it off and go do your homework." Ordered Maggie, going back to whatever she had been doing.

"Yes ma'am…"

X

Chrono set his guitar on his bed and went over to his computer. He got into his e-mail and began a new message, remembering the words his mom had said to him just before he had moved to New York.

_If you ever need anything—anything at all, please tell me, dear. Remember, I'm always here for you, no matter where you are._

Chrono stared at the blank screen for a moment before typing "hey, Mom…"

X

X

X

"I…hate…gym…" cried Rosette as she and her class sat on the bleachers, waiting for Coach G. to tell them what tortures they had to endure today.

"It won't be THAT bad," said Ed, trying to comfort her. Rosette blushed, loving the fact that Ed was still hanging around her.

"Hey Rosette," asked someone leaning down towards her; it was Storm Valerie—the boy that she had knocked more than a few teeth out of. "Have you seen Chrono today?"

"Ooh!" squeaked a girl beside him. "I heard that he was moving away—waaaaay far away!"

"Where'd you hear that?"

"Tabloids."

"Alright, listen up!" shouted Coach G. "We're going into the weight room today to begin our conditioning unit, so follow me!" The class groaned but did as they were told. Once inside the weight room, they were ordered to split up into pairs and start with some bench presses. And of course, Rosette automatically stuck to Ed, who didn't give a single complaint.

"Wow…" cooed Rosette in awe as she watched Ed bench over ten presses with more weights pilled onto the bar than she could even lift. "How do you do that?" she asked dazedly, eyes moving up and down with the fluid motion of the bar. Ed chuckled and set the bar down.

"Easily," he replied. Rosette nodded mindlessly, she was entranced by how freaking strong such a small boy was…that and he had opened his shirt, so Rosette really couldn't take her eyes off his chest. That magnificent…chiseled…glorious chest… She didn't care if she was acting like a fan girl—Ed was just too gorgeous. Rosette blinked, just then realizing that she was no longer staring at Ed. She looked around and found him taking even more weights off the rack to add to the bar. She gave a startled jerk and thought that she had heard a loud cracking sound. "Uh oh…" muttered Ed. Rosette turned to him to find that the weight rack was slowly coming apart right in front of him, but if he moved his hand from where it was, the rack would just fall even quicker. "Rosette," he called. "You might wanna back up." With that, the rack and all of its weights came crashing down upon the boy.

"ED!" screamed Rosette, rushing over to him once the danger had passed. His right arm was crushed under the weights, but other than that, he looked fine. "Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh!" she panicked, not knowing what to do. "Are you alright?"

"That's a stupid question," he murmured, opening his eyes. "But actually, yes, I am." Rosette sighed in relief as he tried to sit up, but when he did, his right arm popped off, still pinned under the weights. Rosette's mouth fell open and her face turned white. "What?" asked Ed with no sign of pain in his tone. Rosette managed to squeak a little bit and point to where his right arm should be. "Oh great… not again…" Rosette tried to scream, but couldn't. So she passed out instead.

X

"…ette…Rosette…? Come on, Rosette… wake up…" Rosette slowly opened her eyes to see Ed leaning over her. "Are you okay?"

"Ugh…" she groaned, holding her head. "I had the weirdest dream…"

"Y'mean like my arm falling off?" asked Ed, smiling mischievously and holding up said appendage in his left hand. Rosette immediately fainted again.

X

X

X

Azzy: Phew! Thank goodness we found enough notes for this chapter while we were pillaging her office.

Fiore: This is SO wrong… By the way, did you ever call that ambulance?

Chrono: Uhh…

Fiore: Ugh…well at least you didn't throw her in a ditch.

Chrono: (turns away speciously)

Fiore: Tell me you didn't.

Chrono: Okay—I didn't.

Fiore: (beginning to walk away) Okay, you do this, and I'LL go look for her.

Chrono: Have fun with that.

Azzy: Y'know, I'm looking through these notes, and I just now realize how short that chapter was…

Chrono: Do you see anything in there about that contest dealie?

Azzy: Hmm… Yep! Here it is, (clears throat) "Okay, so not many people answered the questions, so I'll back it down a tad. The answers for the previous ones were: Case Closed/Detective Conan, Romeo and Juliet, and Prétear."

Satella: Vow… No vone got ze second vone right. It's official—no vone listens to Steiner.

Azzy: Anyway, "**10 points: From ch. 7 (pt. 8), what does the sentence 'yo amo Chrono' translate into?**"

Chrono: Don't look at me—I don't speak Spanish.

Azzy: Way. To. Go. That was like the biggest hint you could give them.

Chrono: Except for maybe "how every fan girl feels about Chrono."

Azzy: …You ARE an idiot. I'm voting you off the island. Ed, you're staying.

Chrono: WHAT? What're you talking about?

Ed: All in favor of booting Chrono off the island say 'I'.

All others other than Chrono: I!

Chrono: Don't make me release the hounds on you.

Ed: Oh please, we're not afraid of dogs.

Chrono: …Then I'll release the fan girls.

Ed: AIEE! SPARE ME!

Azzy: (whisper) wimp.


	14. Chapter 13

Fiore: I still can't find that ditch…

Chrono: It's better this way.

Fiore: You CAN'T be serious.

Chrono: Oh, but I can. Besides, what's the worst that can happen?

Ed: (fires shotgun into air to get attention of other characters) Listen up! I'm taking over this story! Because without your precious authoress, you all are weak and defenseless!

Fiore: I'd say that's the worst that can happen.

Chrono: I can think of worse. (Ed turns to Chrono and shoots him) AAHHHH! (Screams in agony with bloody mess everywhere then calmly turns to Fiore) Like that was pretty bad.

Fiore: But you're not dead.

Ed: Don't worry, he will be in due time. (begins to shoot Chrono over and over)

Fiore: Hmm…Due time sounds like it'll take awhile. Shall we get on with the chapter until due time comes?

Ed: Yes, I shall.

X

X

X

In the Life of ... an Alchemist!

Chapter 13: Ed's chappie!

X

X

X

"Y'mean like my arm falling off?" asked Ed, smiling mischievously and holding up said appendage in his left hand. Rosette immediately fainted again.

X

**(8 hours early…) **

X

Beep! Beep! Beep!

"Ugh…stupid alarm clock…" mumbled Ed, turning over in his bed and pulling his blanket further over his head. He quickly fell back asleep by the lullaby of the noisy clock.

"Brother!" called Alphonse several minutes later. "Wake up, wake up!" he shouted, jumping onto Ed's bed and shaking him roughly.

"Go away, Al!" groaned Edward, turning over onto his stomach. "It's too early for playtime…"

Alphonse blew out his cheeks and huffed at his brother. "Quite treating me like a little kid!" Edward gave a loud snore as his response. Al balled his fists and bowed his head. "If you're not up by the count of three, I'll call _you-know-who_ and remind her that you're over due for a tune-up. O—" Before Al could even count to one, Edward threw away his blankets and shot out of bed. As Al listened to his brother scurrying around in the bathroom, he smiled wickedly to himself. "Works every time…" he muttered proudly.

" AL!" screamed Ed from the kitchen. "It's YOUR turn to make breakfast!"

"Yeah, yeah…" he mumbled, slowly making his way to his brother. As Al shuffled through the living room, he saw Ed poking a large lumped figure on the couch.

"Hey Mustang," whispered Ed, still poking the sleeping figure. "You bought OJ yesterday like I asked, right?" The figure snorted, pretending to still be asleep. Ed clenched his right fist and smacked the figure on the head.

"Owe!" it cried, sitting up quickly. "Edward! How many times have I told you not to do that?"

"How many times have I told you to not sleep in?"

"And how many times have I had to wake the both of you up?" asked Al, standing at the stove, frying some eggs.

"He's got you there." said the man on the couch. He had jet black, was in his mid-thirties, had an immature obsession with mini-skirts, and just happened to be the Elric brother's uncle; Roy Mustang.

Edward hit him again and sighed. "Just get dressed, okay?" he asked, standing up and going over to help Al with breakfast. Ed couldn't stay mad at his uncle for oversleeping, because the reason he over slept was because he slept on the couch, and he slept on the couch because it was only a two bedroom apartment, and one of the few unselfish things he'd done in his entire life was let the boys have the bedrooms, thus forcing him to sleep on the couch. "Hey Al, need help?"

Al shook his head. "Not really, but you could pour the drinks if you want." Ed nodded and walked over to the fridge. He opened the door and went dead silent. Al looked over at him. "Brother," he asked, "what's wrong?" Ed twitched and Al barely had enough time to dodge the oncoming milk bottle that his brother had thrown.

"WHAT THE HELL?" screamed Ed as the bottle hit Roy square in the head. "I told you to stop getting that crap!"

"But…you're the only one that doesn't drink it, I mean, me and uncle do so—"

"I don't care!" snapped Ed, whipping around to face Al. "It's nasty! Why should I even be forced to look at it?"

"Well, you could just not get into the fridge," came a voice from outside the front door. All three boys turned and stared at it. "Oh, right," there was a knock on the door and it opened, revealing a man with black hair and glasses, poking his head into the apartment. "You know, you really should lock the door." He said with a bright smiley face as he invited himself in.

Ed groaned, turning away from the man. "What do you want, Hughes?"

The man gasped. "Edward, how could you? Shunning a helpless man this early in the morning? Especially when he has a brand-new picture of his adorable little girl?" He held up his wallet and let it drop open, unfolding to about a dozen pictures of his daughter. "Isn't my little Elysia just the cutest little thing you've ever seen?"

Ed snatched up a biscuit from the table and hurled it at the man. A hand reached out from behind Hughes's head and caught the biscuit. "Talk about your daughter later, Maes," said the owner of the hand, "We came here for the Colonel, remember?" The women glanced around the room. "Where did he run off to now?"

"Hold your horses, I'm coming!" shouted Mustang from the bathroom.

"A man without pants is a man without dignity." stated Hughes, putting away his wallet.

"That's why I was getting dressed," said Mustang, coming back out into the living room. He looked over at the boys. "Shouldn't you two be heading to school by now?"

"I know," said Al, "I'm going now." Ed turned back to his brother and glared at him.

"WHAT?" he screamed, "How're you done eating already?

Al snorted, setting his dishes in the sink. "While you were throwing a tantrum over the milk, I was getting ready like I was supposed to."

Ed poked his index fingers together, looking quite pathetic. "But…but you saved some for me, right?" Al smiled at him brightly and shook his head. "…" Ed smiled back at his brother for a moment before snapping into wrath-Ed and charging at him. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU! Leave no food for me will you? GRAGH!" he swiped haphazardly at Al, who ducked under the table and dashed for the door, speedily slipping on his shoes and grabbing his backpack.

"Bye Uncle, try not to start any wars!" he called as he slide past Hawkeye and Hughes.

"Get back here you little twerp!" shouted Ed, squeezing passed the military officers.

"See you, boys! Don't get into too many fights!"

"Be safe, you two."

"They're going to be the death of me…"

"Just be thankful you haven't lost an eye to them at this point." said Hawkeye, closing the door behind the boys.

Mustang snorted. "An eye…yeah, I'll be lucky if that's all I lose…"

X

"Get back here!" yelled Ed, flying off the steps of the apartment building as the school bus pulled up. Al dashed onto the bus, leaving his brother behind. That's when Ed heard it; the frantic voice of a young girl.

"Not again! Hey, wait for me! Please don't leave!"

Ed turned to her and smiled. "Hi Rosette!" he chirped, waving at her. Rosette's face turned bright red and she stumbled forward, losing her balance as she tried to stop.

"H-hi Ed!" she stuttered. Ed grinned at her, making her blush even more.

"Hey, are you two coming or not?" called the bus driver.

Ed held his hand out to Rosette. "Shall we?" he asked, pulling one of his famous prince-charming acts. Rosette suppressed a small squeak and nodded, taking his hand. They climbed aboard the bus and found that Al had saved them a seat. Ed let Rosette have the seat, making him stand again, but he didn't mind. Ed looked down to find his brother staring at him skeptically. "What?" he asked.

Al shook his head and whispered "you're taking this way too far, someone's going to end up getting hurt."

Ed rolled his eyes, ignoring the comment. When the bus rolled up to Seventh Bell's front gates, Joshua and Al ran off as they could; rushing over to Fiore. "What's gotten into you two?" asked Ed.

Al laughed maniacally, making Ed quite nervous. Joshua grinned evilly and said "wouldn't YOU like to know?" Rosette bopped him on the head with her fist. "Owe!"

"Yes, I would." She stated, raising her fist again.

Fiore waved her hands at Rosette in a calming manner. "Now, now, let's try not to start any fights." Ed turned away, remembering his little incident with Chrono yesterday.

"What's wrong?" asked Rosette.

He shook his head. "It's nothing," he said, smiling at her. When she had turned her attention back to her brother, Ed looked away, scanning the crowd of students for Chrono. Ed frowned. _'I really didn't think I hit him THAT hard…'_ he shook his head again._ 'No!'_ he told himself,_ 'he's probably inside already, besides, it wouldn't be my fault if he's absent…right?'_

Ding Dong Ding Dong! (stop beating up nerds and go to class!)

"Come on!" giggled Rosette, taking Ed's hand into her own. "Let's go!" she began to pull him towards the building. Ed took one final look around, still no sign of the other boy.

X

"…La prueba de los quehaceres va al lunes. La tarea esta noche es en sus libros—la pagina 71, preguntas 4 y 5." said Señor Ricardo to the class. Ed quickly jotted down the homework in his planner. He glanced over at Rosette and saw that she had her head propped up in her hands and was gazing dreamily at him. Ed smiled at her and laughed quietly. Rosette snapped back to reality and quickly shook her head, turning her attention back to the teacher. Ed also refocused on Señor Ricardo, but couldn't help but recall what Al had told him on the bus that morning.

_You're taking this way too far, someone's going to end up getting hurt._

Ed shook his head and sighed._ 'What does he know? I'm not taking anything too far.'_

"Eduardo," said the teacher, suddenly turning away from the chalkboard. "Would you care to repeat what I just said?"

"Uhh…"

X

Ding Dong Ding Dong! (we'll give you $10 if you get to class right now!—Psych!)

_'Doh!'_ thought Ed as he carried his portfolio over to one of the tables and took out a pencil. _'I think I told Rosette the wrong class…again…'_

"Your final copies are due in three days, so please make sure to get them done, but don't feel rushed." called Miss Trace as she let her art students wander around the room to find a comfortable drawing position. Ed tapped his pencil on the desk, thinking. He slowly began to add in a few details to his picture, making the complex image even more confusing. As the teacher walked by, she leaned over Ed's shoulder and stared at his work. "Is that you're final copy?" she asked hesitantly. He nodded. "But…it's just a circle…"

"It's a really fancy circle," he stated, holding up the picture so she could get a better look.

The teacher gasped. "It looks like something out of a magic book…" she cooed. She lightly patted him on the head and resumed walking around the room, checking the other students' works.

Ed huffed and once Miss Trace was out of earshot muttered "it's called alchemy."

X

Ed groaned; watching teachers write formulas that he learned when he was a little kid always bored him. He folded his arms and put his head down, trying to fall asleep.

"Psst," whispered someone beside him, nudging him slightly. "If you fall asleep, the teacher will get uber-mad." Ed rolled his head to face the other way, trying to ignore the girl. She blew out her cheeks, huffing at him.

Ed lifted his head slightly and turned back to the girl. "Hey, Shader," he whispered, making sure the teacher didn't hear him, "is Chrono here today?" She shook her head, but before she could explain why, the teacher stopped writing and turned to the two.

"Edward," scolded Miss Hendric, "I know that you may find physics to be boring, but I happen to love them. And if you don't memorize these formulas, you'll fail the test next week."

Ed groaned. "But I already know all this…" he whined, slumping down farther in his seat.

X

Ding Dong Ding Dong! (fire, quick! Get to your next class or you'll burn!)

"So…why isn't Chrono here today?" asked Ed again as he and Shader left the A.P. Physics room. But again, they were interrupted before she could tell him why.

"Hi Edward!" chirped Rosette, running up to him.

"Ooh—Rosey-posey!" cooed Shader, giving her a big hug. "It seems like I haven't seen you in ages!"

"Ack! Shader—can't…breathe…" choked Rosette.

"Oh! Sorry!" she cried, immediately letting go. Ed laughed at the two, making Rosette blush yet again. And again, Al's words come flooding back to him.

_You're taking this way too far, someone's going to end up getting hurt._

Ed shook his head. Why did his little brother have to nag so much? Rosette turned to him and smiled. "Come on," she said, taking his hand, "or we'll be late." Ed nodded and followed her. Al was wrong, no one was going to get hurt, especially not Rosette—he didn't WANT to hurt her, not ever…

X

By the time gym class rolled around, Ed had completely forgotten about his missing classmate. He sat on the bleachers, patiently awaiting the ever-late teacher. Rosette flopped down beside him and sighed loudly. "I…hate…gym…" she cried.

"It won't be THAT bad," said Ed, trying to comfort her. Rosette blushed, and Ed smiled.

"Hey Rosette," asked someone leaning down towards the two; it was Storm Valerie—the boy that Ed knew for a fact was scared out of his wits by Rosette because of some incidents where he walked away from her with less and less teeth. "Have you seen Chrono today?"

"Ooh!" squeaked a girl beside him. "I heard that he was moving away—waaaaay far away!" Ed swallowed hard; that can't be true, could it?

"Where'd you hear that?" asked Valerie.

"Tabloids." Ed groaned;_ 'of course…'_

"Alright, listen up!" shouted Coach G., finally appearing before the class. "We're going into the weight room today to begin our conditioning unit, so follow me!" The class groaned but did as they were told. Once inside the weight room, they were ordered to start with some bench presses. Ed had to keep from laughing when Rosette automatically clung to his arm when told to get into pairs.

"Wow…" cooed Rosette in awe as she watched Ed bench over ten presses. "How do you do that?" she asked dazedly, eyes moving up and down with the fluid motion of the bar. Ed chuckled and set the bar down.

"Easily," he replied, suppressing another laugh when Rosette nodded mindlessly. He thought that it might have less to do with how much he could lift and more with the fact that he had unbuttoned his shirt. Every time he did that, any girls nearby would stop and stare, even if it meant stopping in the middle of a street. _'I wonder why they do that?'_ he thought to himself. Fool…he really has no idea of how hot he is…

Ed stood up and went over to the weight rack to get more weights, just so he could laugh at how easy it was to dazzle Rosette. Ed blinked. A loud cracking noise had taken him away from his thoughts. "Uh oh…" he muttered. He examined the rack carefully to find that it was about to break._ 'Lousy, half-assed assembly…_' he thought angrily. If he moved his hand from where it was, the rack would just fall even quicker, thus killing him all the sooner. "Rosette," he called cautiously. "You might wanna back up." With that, the rack and all of its weights came crashing down upon him.

"ED!" he heard Rosette scream. He tried to sit up, but his right arm was crushed under the weights. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" panicked Rosette, dancing around Ed. "Are you alright?"

"That's a stupid question," he murmured, opening his eyes. "But actually, yes, I am." Rosette sighed in relief. Ed tried to sit up again, and he did, but this time, his right arm popped off, still pinned under the weights. Rosette's mouth fell open and her face turned white. "What?" asked Ed staring at the stunned girl. Rosette managed to squeak a little bit and point to where his right arm should be. He looked over at his shoulder and groaned. "Oh great… not again…" He looked back over at Rosette just in time to see her faint.

X

"…Rosette…Rosette…? Come on, Rosette… wake up…" called Ed, trying to bring Rosette back to the waking world. She slowly opened her eyes to see Ed leaning over her. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Ugh…" she groaned, holding her head. "I had the weirdest dream…"

Ed smiled mischievously and held up his right arm. "Y'mean like my arm falling off?" he asked, waving it around a bit in his left hand. Rosette immediately fainted again.

X

X

X

Ed: (still shooting Chrono) Why (BANG!) won't (BANG!) you (BANG!) die? (BANG!)

Chrono: (laughing at Ed) Ha ha, you'll never kill me—I'm the star of this story.

Rosette: You've barely been in it at all.

Chrono: It's not my fault the authoress is mean…

Rosette: The authoress is dead.

Chrono: Then I blame her notes!

Ed: DIE! (BANG!)

Chrono: Oh, give it up already! I'm so full of bullets that I don't think I can even walk anymore!

Fiore: Keep shooting, Ed. I think due time is almost here.

Ed: I know, I know! (tries to fire, but shotgun's out of ammo)

Fiore: I'll go get some more. But in the mean time, (throws notebook to Ed) tell them the next question.

Ed: Pfftht! Forget these! (throws away notebook) I already know the question for MY chapter! **10 points: Who's the hottest anime guy of all time?** (this question will stay on the table forever, I'm just cool that way).

Chrono: (snort) oh puh-leez! You know they'll vote for ME.

Ed: (BANG!) Hey look! One more bullet.

Chrono: You're enjoying this, aren't you?

Ed: I'll be happier when you're dead. (Fiore comes back and hands box of ammo to Ed, who reloads gun and aims at Chrono again). Take this! (BANG! KA-CHINK! (bullet ricochets off Chrono and hits Rosette))

Rosette: AAAHHHHHH!

Chrono and Ed: ROSETTE!

Fiore: (whispers) morons…

Chrono: Look what you did! I'll make you pay for this! GRAGH! (hits Ed with the baseball bat)

Fiore: You idiot! We need him alive for one more chapter!

Chrono: Oh, come on!

Fiore: Just call a paramedic!

Chrono: Okay. (does so)

Fiore: (to Chrono when he hangs up the phone) You actually called one? But—but—why didn't you call one for the authoress?

Chrono: Guh? You just said "paramedic", before it was "ambulance".

Fiore: Idiot. They're the same thing.

Chrono: …DAMMIT! You mean I just saved my arch-rival?

Azzy: That reminds me, are these the "progressively darker" chapters that the authoress mentioned a while ago?

Fiore: (flipping through notebook) …Nope, doesn't look like it.

Chrono: Y'mean THESE are happy chapters?

Fiore: I guess…

Chrono: But—but—ED!

Fiore: He was a random factor, remember?

Chrono: SO? Just get rid of him already! (turns to point at Ed but can't find him. Then sees him at Rosette's side)

Ed: Only a kiss of true love can bring her back to life! (leans down to kiss Rosette)

Chrono: DON'T YOU DARE! (runs over and tries to hit with the baseball bat again)

Fiore: You're BOTH idiots…


	15. Chapter 14

Joshua: Does anyone else here that chain-dragging sound?

Azzy: You mean like a ghost?

Joshua: Yeah.

Unknown:_ ohhhhh…ohhhhh…!_

Azzy: Did you hear that?

Joshua: Only if you did!

Unknown: _ohhhh…!_

Azzy: AIEEEE! It's the ghost of the authoress!

Unknown:_ Idiots…open…open the door…!_

Azzy: EEP! What's it mean 'open the door'?

Joshua: …hm…Wait! I know that song!

Unknown: _What…?_

Joshua: (breaks into song) _IT'S ALL RIGHT! Daijoubu, daijoubu, daijoubu, kiseki datte okoseru. Here we go! Ikou yo, ikou yo, ikou yo, tsubasa hiroge. Kitto nanika ga, nanika ga, dokoka de, deaeru hi wo matte'ru. Do! Do! Do! Dreaming! Dreaming! Soshite tobira ga, hiraku yo…_

Unknown:_ Ugh…idiot…_

X

X

X

In the Life of a Rock Star

Chapter 14: When the rain stops…

X

X

X

"…ette…Rosette…I promise not to freak you out this time…" Rosette groaned. She was too content in her little nap to pay attention to the voice calling out to her. But wait a minute, who's voice was that? Rosette peeked through one eye and tried to make out the blurry figure. She opened the other, still not sure who was leaning over her. "Come on…" it urged, "I'll give you a cookie if you wake up." Rosette sat up and opened her eyes fully.

"Cookie?" she asked hungrily.

Ed leaned back and laughed nervously. "Cookie? I don't have any cookies. What're you talking about?"

Rosette flopped back down onto the floor. "Well, if there aren't any cookies…"

"Okay, okay, I'll get you a cookie," She sat up straight again and grinned mischievously. "Later," finished Ed, catching Rosette in one hand before she could lie back down. "Okay," he started seriously, staring Rosette in the eye. "Promise you won't freak out this time."

"Whaddya mean?" Rosette followed his gaze to the pile of weights next to them and the metal arm that was on top of it all. Rosette's eyes bugged out and her face paled. She quickly glanced at Ed's right shoulder to indeed find that he was missing an arm. "…!" she squeaked, unable to form any real words. She felt her world spinning, quickly slipping away from her.

"Please don't faint again!" cried Ed, still holding her up with his left hand. "It didn't even hurt to come off!" Rosette gawked at him.

"How could that NOT hurt?" she demanded.

Ed laughed nervously. "Well…it's happened a few times before so…" Rosette smiled at him.

"Okay," she said, "I'll just have to trust you on this one."

Just then, the door to the weight room burst open and Al came running through. "Brother!" he cried, barely stopping an inch in front of the two sitting on the floor. "I heard there was an accident! Are you alright? Are you hurt? Are you intact?" he shouted worriedly. Ed looked away and Al spotted the metal arm lying next to them. "Not again…" he sighed, taking out his cell phone. "I knew you were over due for a tune-up, but this is just ridiculous." He began to punch a few numbers into his phone.

"Al…" asked Ed fearfully. "Who're you calling?"

"You know who,"

"Oh please no! Anyone but her!"

"Who're you talking about?" asked Rosette curiously.

"She's the only one that'll fix your arm." said Al, ignoring Rosette.

"Don't be mean…" sobbed Ed, "you're the nice one, remember?"

"Quit making a big deal out of this, just suck it up and take what's coming."

"But Al…"

X

Ding Dong Ding Dong! (go home or the ghosts will eat you!)

Ed, Al, and Rosette all left the school together, Ed skulking behind bushes and trees like he was hiding from something. "What's he doing?" whispered Rosette, leaning over to Al.

"Trying to hide from his mechanic," he said, laughing at his brother. "'Trying' being the key word."

"Whaddya mean?" asked Rosette, but her question was soon answered.

"EDWARD!" screamed a VERY angry voice. Before she knew what happened, Rosette saw Ed fall to the ground, a giant lump on his head and a wrench lying beside him. Al laughed at him, but Rosette was utterly confused.

"What just happened?"

"You see," said Al between laughs, "brother's mechanic gets quite angry with him whenever he breaks his arm or leg. But he always tries to hide from her, so she 'immobilizes' him by throwing her wrench. And it works every time." Rosette nodded, still not sure what had just happened.

"Owe…what the hell was…" mumbled Ed, starting to get up. He spotted the wrench and the color drained from his face. He quickly got to his feet and began to dash away. Another wrench came flying at him and smacked him in the same spot.

"Ooh…" cooed Al, taking great amusement in watching his brother being beaten. "She brought TWO wrenches this time!" Rosette then saw a young girl about her age storm up to Ed and snag his collar.

"Edward Elric!" she screamed, jerking him back and forth. "Not only do you not come in for a tune-up, but then you go and break your arm and then expect me to come to you and fix it? I have a life too, you know!"

"So then why are you here…?" he asked, dizzy from the girl shaking him so much.

She growled at him and began to shake him some more. "That's not the point!" she screamed, blushing slightly. Al laughed even harder and the girl turned to him, finally noticing the two people that were watching her. "Oh, hi Al!" she called, waving and smiling. "And…who's…?" she looked at Rosette, a twitching, scared, and utterly confused Rosette.

"Oh, right, this is Rosette." said Al, motioning towards Rosette for the girl. "And Rosette?" he asked, smiling warmly at her, "this is Winry, brother's mechanic."

"More like cause of death…" mumbled Ed, still pinned under Winry.

"What was that?" demanded Winry darkly. She wrapped her hands around Ed's neck and began to strangle him. "I come all the way here to fix you, and this how you repay me?"

"No one asked you to come here!"

Winry, seeming to calm down, leaned down to Ed's face and smiled sweetly; Ed turned bright red. "Now Ed, you may not have called me here—BUT AL (who has far better commonsense than you) DID!" And with that, she resumed her beating of him.

Rosette stared at the two, eyes wide and an awful unease filling her.

_Her sweet smile brightens the room, _

Those were Ed's words from the other day in English class.

_Her beautiful eyes sparkle cornflower blue _

_Her golden hair glistens in the country sun _

Rosette watched as Ed finally threw Winry off and flipped her so that he was the one pinning her to the ground. He began to scream in her face about how he hated it when she tried to kill him. Her response was grabbing one of the wrenches and smacking him upside the head with it, giving him some smart-ass remark; both were blushing quite darkly.

_She is my one and only._

"Rosette?" asked Al, turning to her with a look of worry. "Are you alright? You look kind of pale."

Rosette shook her head and smiled. "I'm fine," she chirped, turning away. "I have to go home now."

"Bye, be safe!" called Al.

Rosette waved back at him and called "bye Al, bye Ed, bye Miss Winry—nice to meet you!"

Winry stopped killing Ed for a moment and waved to Rosette. "Bye, nice to meet you too, Miss Rosette!"

X

Rosette continued to walk down the crowded New York sidewalk, a smile never leaving her lips. "?" She looked up at the sky just as another little raindrop fell on her face. Soon, a few little droplets became a downpour. People on the street rushed into stores to take cover from the rain. Rosette stood motionless on the not-so-crowded sidewalk. She still faced the sky, but kept her eyes closed, her smile finally fading. Tears streamed down her cheeks, disguised as part of the rain. "Stupid…" she muttered, "stupid weatherman, you didn't say anything about rain…"

"But then, when is the weatherman ever right?" asked a voice from behind her. Rosette whipped around to face the speaker.

"M-Miss Hendric?" she stuttered. The teacher smiled and waved at her from under the awning of a store.

"Why don't you come over here until the rain stops?" she asked kindly. Rosette stared at her, trembling all over, not meeting her eyes. "What's wrong?"

X

Once Azzy had gotten Rosette to calm down and get out of the rain, she tried asking her what was wrong again, and was still waiting for an answer. "You can tell me, you know." she said a few minutes later. "I want you to think of me as a friend, not a teacher." Rosette nodded, but still wouldn't look up. Azzy frowned. "What's wrong? It makes me sad to see you like this…"

"…y—…" began Rosette slowly. "You shouldn't feel sad because of me…Because…" Az leaned closer and smiled warmly. "…Because I'm an awful person…" she squeaked, tears cascading down her cheeks.

Az gasped a little and took one of Rosette's hands into her own. "That's not true!" she urged, gazing up at her with her big crimson eyes. "You're one of the sweetest people I know! Why would you think—"

"Because…" choked Rosette, swiping at tears with her free hand, "because I AM. I acted so cruelly to Chrono just because…because…" she sniffed and took a deep breath, trying to steady her voice. "Just because I met a cute boy." She stated, tears falling faster.

Azmaria looked up at her sadly, wishing there was something she could do. Then she remembered something. "So…you want to apologize to Chrono, right?" Rosette nodded, still trying to stop the tears. "I'm sure if you went to talk to him, he'd listen…" Rosette looked down at Az sadly.

"But…" she stuttered, "I don't know where he lives. I know that when he started coming to school, his manager moved him and the band out of the studio, but I don't know to where…"

Azzy smiled and pulled a little piece of paper out of her purse. "Here," she said, handing it to Rosette.

She took it and stared at it for a moment. "This…" she whispered.

"Is his address," said Az, still smiling. "Shader gave it to me a few days ago and said that I should 'come over and play' sometime." Az looked away and her smile grew. "Looks like the rain stopped." She stepped out from under the awning and smiled at Rosette one last time. "No matter how much rain falls, the grey clouds will slowly go away and let the sun shine again." She waved to Rosette and said "I'll see you in class tomorrow," and walked away. Rosette was left standing alone under the awning, staring down at the piece of paper.

X

Chrono sat on his bed, playing his guitar and jotting a few notes down on a pad of paper every so often. He looked out the window and smiled slightly. _'Good,'_ he thought,_ 'the rain has finally let up.'_ There was a knock on his door. "Who is it?" he called. Shader poked her head into the room and smiled at him. "What do you want?" he asked, slightly irritated.

Shader frowned, fake cat ears slumping a bit. "Is that any way to talk to your dear, sweet, cousin?" Chrono rolled his eyes and Shader giggled. "I came to ask what you wanted for dinner. Maggie's gone off the deep end and thinks that she can cook now."

Chrono smiled and shrugged. "Why not fish?"

Shader perked up a little and then scrunched back down, asking "you're just saying that because fish is MY favorite, aren't you?" Chrono nodded, chuckling at her. Shader grinned, cheeks all rosy. "Yay! Thankies muchies!" She turned to go, but stopped and poked her head back into the room. "Oh, I almost forgot," she said, "you have a visitor!" she cheered, swinging the door open. Chrono dropped his pencil and stared wide eyed as Shader pushed Rosette into the room and closed the door behind her, all the while singing "fishy, fishy, how I love thee! ♥"

"Umm…hi." said Rosette nervously after a moment.

Chrono smiled back at her. "Hi,"

"Um…!" stuttered Rosette, playing with the hem of her shirt. "Y-you weren't at school today…"

Chrono tilted up his right cheeked and pointed to it. "Doctor's orders," he said simply. Rosette looked carefully and saw stitches; she frowned. "Plus, Maggie was really worried that I'd get into another fight. But I'm fine now." He smiled at Rosette.

Rosette's expression sank even more and she looked away from Chrono. _'Why?' _ She asked herself, _'why is he smiling like nothing's wrong? Maybe…maybe he hates me so much that he doesn't care anymore…'_ "Chrono, I…" started Rosette, hoping very much that once again she was wrong. She took a deep breath, making sure that she wouldn't break down in front of him like she had with Az. "There's something I need to tell you…"

Chrono looked away and stared out the window; the rain had begun to fall again. He didn't want to be where he was. He knew what Rosette had to say (or at least thought he knew) and he didn't want to hear it. He had spent the entire day coming to terms with the fact that she preferred Ed over him and he understood perfectly well why she liked Ed more, he just didn't want to hear her say those reasons. _'Why can't she just leave me be?'_ he thought, still staring out the window. _'Can't she just leave me with the broken pieces of my heart? Why does she need to break it even more?'_ He didn't want to hear her say those words, but in truth, he very much wanted her to stay with him, even if it was just a few moments longer while she prepared to leave him for good. "Rosette," he began softly, turning back to her, "you don't hav—"

"I'm sorry!" she blurted, cutting him off.

"Huh?" he blinked at her, unsure of what she meant.

"I'm so sorry for all of this!" she bowed her head and grasped the hem of her shirt tightly, ringing it in her hands. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen—I swear! It's just that Ed was so—so—"

"Cute?" asked Chrono, smiling at her. "Nice? Not swarmed by other girls at every possible chance?" She didn't say anything. "I don't blame you, y'know." Rosette looked up at him. "In fact, I guess it's my fault in the first place." Rosette shook her head roughly.

"No way is it your fault! I'm the one who was…" she drifted off. _'Cheating on you…' _she thought sadly. "I'm sorry…" she said again, looking away once more. "I swear this'll never happen again—promise…"

"It's alright…" he said kindly. "…And 'I forgive you', that's what you want to hear, right?"

Rosette stared at him hopefully, her tears finally slipping down her cheeks. "You really mean it?" He nodded, set his guitar aside, and held out his hand. Rosette took a hesitant step forward and then slowly made her way to him. She stood in front of him for a moment, staring at the outstretched hand and his warm smile. Then, she flung herself upon him, hugging him tightly. "Chrono!" she wailed, burying her face in his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and caressed the back of her head.

"It's alright…" he said gently. Rosette continued to sob, soaking his shirt, but Chrono didn't mind. He was just happy to have her back.

X

After awhile, once Rosette had calmed down, Chrono resumed playing his guitar and jotting down notes. Rosette was sitting on the floor, head rested on the bed, listening to the soft melody. "You're so good at that…" she cooed. Chrono paused his playing to write another note on the paper.

"What do you mean?" he asked softly.

"The guitar…you're like an expert or something."

Chrono chuckled at her. "Well I AM a rock star…"

Rosette turned bright red and looked away. "R-right, I knew that!" He laughed lightly at her again. Rosette propped her chin up on the mattress and gazed up at Chrono. "Thank you…" she whispered.

He looked down at her and smiled gently. "For what?"

"For being so nice…"

"What do you mean?"

She shook her head and closed her eyes. "You're just too nice is all…"

"Is that a bad thing?" he asked jokingly.

"N-no!" stuttered Rosette, sitting up straight. "W-what I meant was—"

Chrono smiled at her and laughed a little. "I know what you meant; I was just teasing you,"

Rosette blew out her cheeks and looked away. "Maybe you're not as nice as I thought…" she huffed, folding her arms.

Chrono sighed and shook his head. "Then maybe," he started, smiling wickedly, "you wouldn't want to see THIS." He said, holding up his notebook. Rosette stared at it curiously and snatched it out of his hand.

"Oh wow…!" she cooed, flipping through a few of the pages. "This is sheet music! Did you write this?"

Chrono nodded. "It took me a few days, but yeah…that's the song I've been working on."

"Amazing! Are you going to sing it?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Actually," he said, smiling, "I was hoping you could."

"M-me?" shouted Rosette, falling backwards a bit. "B-but I can't sing—at all!"

"Not true," he stated, leaning towards her. "I heard you sing with Shader and Rizelle that one time in the studio, remember? I know for a fact that you have a lovely singing voice."

Rosette flushed a deep scarlet, and she began to feel light-headed. _'H-he thinks I have a lovely singing voice?'_ she asked herself, completely flustered. _'Hearing that from a professional musician…is just…TOO COOL!'_ she giggled, ego taking over. "Lovely, huh?" she asked proudly. "And I suppose you also think that I'm drop-dead-gorgeous too, right?"

"I wouldn't push your luck."

Rosette fell flat on her back. "I take back every comment I said about you being nice!"

Chrono laughed as Rosette slowly sat up again, rubbing her back. "I'm just kidding! I DO think you're pretty, okay?"

Rosette stuck her tongue out at him. "Nice try—but you're only saying that to make me feel better!"

Chrono leaned towards her so much that their foreheads were pressing against each other, making Rosette's blush turn even darker. "I like you—a lot, and the fact that you're so pretty makes me love you all the more."

There was no red deep enough to match the color of Rosette's face as she practically fainted. But luckily, she stood up quick enough that she kept her consciousness. "Y-you w-wanted me to s-sing that song, right?" she stuttered, beyond flustered. Chrono smiled and handed her the notebook again. Rosette took it and flipped to the first page of the song. Chrono picked up his guitar again, ready to play for her.

"Ready?" he asked. Rosette turned around and faced him, face still red. She nodded silently, hoping that she wouldn't be too flustered to sing. "Okay, here goes." And with that, he began to play, and Rosette began to sing.

_Nee kono machi ga yuuyami ni somaru toki wa _

_Sekai no dokoka de asahi ga sasuu _

_Kimi no te no naka sono hana ga kareru toki wa _

_Chiisana tane wo otosu darou _

Chrono smiled, Rosette was doing great.

_Fumikatamerareta tsuchi wo michi da to yobu no naraba _

_Me wo tojiru koto de mo ai kanaa? _

_Kono hoshi ga taira _ _nara__ futari deaete nakatta _

_Otagai wo toozakeru you ni hashitte ita _

_Supiido wo yurumezuni ima wa donna ni hanarete mo _

_Meguru kiseki no tochuu ni mata mukaiau no darou _

Rosette glanced over at Chrono while he did the little bridge and smiled warmly. _'He really IS amazing…'_ she sighed.

_Nee kono machi no yuuyami ga sariyuku toki ni _

_Kono namida tsuretette _

_Katarikakete kuru moji wo shousetsu to yobu no _ _nara_

_Todokanai kotoba wa yume kanaa? _

Chrono stared up at Rosette, amazed by her voice. He knew she was didn't like to sing in front of others, so it made him quite happy when he realized that she was trying especially hard for him right now.

_Yodominaku nagareteku kawa ni ukabeta konoha de _

_Umi o mezashite kumo ni natte ame de furou _

_Tooi kimi no chikaku de ochita tane o sodateyou _

_Chigau basho de kimi ga kizuite kureru to iin dakedo _

Rosette sighed and listened to Chrono's solo, soaking in his wonderful playing. _'I must pale in comparison to him…'_ she thought sadly. She saw him smile at her, and she blushed again._ 'But then again…'_ she thought, smiling to herself,_ 'he might be thinking the same exact thing…'_

_Kono hoshi ga taemanaku mawaritsuzukete iru kara _

_Chiisaku aketa mado no soto keshiki o kae _

_Watashi no aishita hana sotto mebaeru kisetsu de _

_Meguru kiseki no sono hate mata mukaiau no darou _

_Mukaiau no darou _

_Kururu mawaru kuru kuru to _

_Kuru kuru kimi no mawari o _

Rosette finished with a deep breath and flopped back down on the floor. "That was really good," said Chrono, smiling at her.

Rosette's cheeks flushed again and she shook her head. "B-but," she stuttered, "It's YOUR song, so really any credit goes to you!"

Chrono smiled at her. "But you're the one who sung it so beautifully…"

"B-but…"

"He's giving you a complement, you twit!" shouted someone from behind the door. Rosette and Chrono stared at it for a moment, listening to the whispers from outside.

"Shader, you idiot! They heard you!"

"Well it's not MY fault, it just sort of slipped out! Besides, I bet they didn't even hear me!"

"Umm…we did." called Rosette.

"Oopsie…"

"Idiot!"

Genai, Shader, and Rizelle then poked their heads through the door and grinned nervously at the two. "W-we were just curios is all…you two had been in there together—alone—with the door closed—for quite sometime…"

Chrono turned bright red and began to yell at the three. "W-why would you guys even consider th-that we were—" he stopped, Rosette had wrapped her arms around his neck and was hugging him in a very suggestible way.

She turned to the others and said "oh poo, they caught on." She looked up at Chrono with an adorable but mischievous look on her face. "It's no use hiding it anymore, is it?" She turned back to the other three and said "I'm pregnant." Genai's eyes practically popped out of his head, but Rizelle and Shader began to laugh along with Rosette.

"Good one!" squeaked Shader, trying her best not to roll around on the floor.

"You really had us going there for a minute!" giggled Rizelle.

"You mean you were lying?" demanded Genai, grasping his chest over where his heart was. "You freaking gave me a heart attack!" The girls laughed even harder.

Rosette turned to Chrono and saw that he had fainted. "ACK! What happened?" she screamed worriedly. She leaned over him and saw that his face was a bright scarlet and his eyes were all swirly. "He…" she began slowly, "he thought I was being serious too?" The girls stared at each other for a moment before cracking up again. "How stupid can you get?"

"Hey," said Genai rather grumpily, "you fooled me too."

"My dear," said Shader, flopping and arm around his shoulder, "that is not hard at all to do."

"WHAT WAS THAT?"

"Guys!" called Maggie from the kitchen downstairs, "Dinner's ready!"

"Ooh!" cooed Shader. "Fishy, fishy, how I love theeeeeeeee!" she cheered as she ran down the steps.

"That barely rhymes—and it's annoying!" shouted Genai, chasing after her.

Rizelle laughed at the two and turned back to Rosette, who was having some difficulty waking Chrono up. "You're welcome to stay for dinner if you'd like. And about him," she motioned towards Chrono, "just start saying things about how much he looks like a girl, and I'm sure he'll come around in no time." With that, she went down to join the others for supper.

Rosette stared at the unconscious Chrono for a moment and then said "umm…girly-man?"

"What'd you say?" he demanded, immediately sitting up.

Rosette giggled at him and said "nothing," while pulling him away to dinner.

X

X

X

Chrono: Yay, everything's back to normal!

Ed: Don't be so sure about that.

Chrono: ACK! I thought we were done with you!

Ed: HA HA! Never!

Smarty-pants Ed: There you are! Do you know how many fanfics we had to scour to find you?

Chrono: THERE'S MORE OF YOU?

Chick Ed: In another fic, yes.

Joshua: Ooh...And one's a GIRL? I need to switch fics.

Rosette: (smacks Joshua)

Joshua: Owe…never mind…

Al: Come on, Niisan, let's leave these poor people alone.

Flirty Ed: But I was having so much fun!

Winry: Yeah, yeah…why don't you go back to **7 Little Dwarves** and over stress me there instead of making me look all over for you?

Flirty Ed: Ohh…you're not nice…

(All FMA characters finally exit ITLOARS)

Fiore: …They'll be back.

Chrono: Please don't say that.

Azzy: Hmm… I have a question.

Joshua: Then let's make it 5 points!

Azzy: Fine…**5 points: What anime is the song "Open the Door" from?**

Joshua: And also, **10 points: For 5, What is the name of the song that Rosette sang/ And for the other 5, what show did it come from?**

Rosette: You just love to hand out globs of points, don't you?

Joshua: Oh yeah!

Rosette: _Sigh_…I miss Elric already…

Satella: Did you say "Elric"?

Rosette: Yeah…why?

Satella: I had a sister, Trisha, who married a man vith ze last name of Elric.

Rosette: There's probably a ton of Elrics in the world.

Joshua: Uhh…Rosette? Al's and Ed's mom's name was Trisha.

Rosette: …! Shoot me now.

Flirty Ed: Okay! (BANG! (Shoots Rosette))

Rosette: AAHHHHH!

Fiore: Told ya they'd be back.

Chrono: Not again—Rosette!

Fiore: Why do I have the feeling that this is going to turn into a 'survival of the fittest' thing?


	16. Chapter 15

Joshua: Ha ha!

Chrono: What're you laughing at?

Joshua: You.

Chrono: Huh?

Joshua: Mwa ha ha… you'll see, oh…you'll see.

Chrono: Keep secrets from ME will you? Take this! (bashes head in with baseball bat)

Fiore: Now he can never tell you, you know.

Chrono…Dammit! I didn't think of that.

Fiore: Idiot.

X

X

X

In the Life of a Rock Star

Chapter 15: (character's filling in for dead authoress are too lazy to think of a title)

X

X

X

Rosette smiled to herself—it was nice to have everything back to normal. She blushed. _'Well…as normal as it ever was…'_ She looked up, arriving at her house, but for some reason, there was Ed, standing at her door step. "What're you doing here?" she called. He looked over at her and smiled.

"I came by to pick up Al. He and your brother were practicing for that play—or so they say." Rosette giggled and unlocked the door. As she and Ed walked into the apartment, they heard their little brothers from the living room and peeked in on them. Rosette nearly dropped dead.

"My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss." cooed Joshua gazing deep into Al's eyes.

"Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much," stated Al, turning away. "Which mannerly devotion shows this; for saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss?"

"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?" cried Joshua, taking Al's hands into his own.

"Ay, pilgrim," said Al hesitantly, "lips that they must use in prayer."

"O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do; they pray, grant thou, lest faith to despair." Joshua leaned closer to Al, faces nearing each other.

"Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake." Said Al, again turning away.

"Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take. Thus from my lips by thine my sin is purged." cried Joshua, moving way too close to Al's face.

"WHAT THE HELL?" screamed Rosette, bursting into the room.

Joshua and Al looked up at her and Ed and smiled. "Oh, hi Rosette!" cheered Joshua, waving at her. Rosette snatched up the cordless phone from a coffee table not far from her and chucked it at her brother, hitting him square in the head. "ACK!" he cried as he fell backwards.

"Joshua!" cried Al.

"What is going on?" screeched Ed, just as freaked out as Rosette.

"We were practicing for the play!" shouted Al, leaning over Joshua to make sure he wasn't dead.

Rosette snorted. "I highly doubt that you have the roll of Juliet, Al. I always knew there was something seriously wrong with Joshua—but he didn't have to drag you into it!"

Al sighed, rubbing his temples; frustrated. "He was having trouble memorizing this part!" he said clearly and slowly, like Rosette and Ed were babies that couldn't understand him. "Yes, we have scenes together. But we're not always together—so we're helping each other with our other parts!"

"Well you sure were into it," mumbled Rosette as Joshua sat up, having finally regained consciousness.

"Ugh…What hit me…?" he asked groggily.

"A phone." stated Al, holding up said object.

Joshua turned and glared at Rosette. "What'd you do that for?" he yelled.

Rosette huffed and turned away. "What any sane sister would do if her brother was acting like a gay fag." Before she knew what was coming, Rosette felt something very hard hit her head. "OWE!" she screamed. Between the throbbing pain, she peeled one eye open to see the telephone sitting on the floor in front of her. "Why'd you do that?" she screamed.

Joshua stood up, balled his fists, and glared at her, holding back tears. "Don't—" he squeaked, "Don't ever call me that again—ever!" he screamed then stormed up the stairs and into his room. Rosette cringed as she heard his door slam shut. She glanced over at Al and Ed.

"S…sorry…" she whispered not meeting there eyes.

Ed shook his head and smiled at her. "Sibling rivalry," he stated, "it's natural, I just hope you two make up soon." He turned to his brother. "Ready?" he asked, Al nodded. "See you tomorrow, Rosette!" he called as they left the apartment.

After a few moments, Rosette sighed and headed upstairs. She knocked on Joshua's door and called "hey…got a minute?"

"Go away!" came her brother's muffled voice.

Rosette sighed again and leaned back against the door. "I just wanna talk, oka—"

"I said, Go-A-way!"

Rosette scowled. "Will you please just listen to me?" she yelled. "I'm sorry, okay? I say stupid things—you know that!"

"That doesn't make it right!"

"I know that!" she screamed. "I just…I just forget is all…" she waited for an answer but it never came. "Look, can you please just calm down and come out?" still no answer. "Alright, fine! Be mad at me—see if I care!" she waited again, but still, she couldn't hear anything from him. "Joshua?" she called worriedly. "Are you listening to me?" She pressed her ear against the door and strained to hear him. That's when she heard it, a faint coughing sound that wouldn't cease. "Joshua?" called Rosette more urgently. "Joshua!" She fumbled with the doorknob but found it to be lock. She darted her hand into her pocket and pulled out a key, unlocking the door. "Joshua!" she screamed again as she shot into his room. There he was, sitting at the other end of his bed, hunched over and hacking away. "Joshua!" He turned away, still mad at his sister, but the coughing still wouldn't stop. "Joshua…" whispered Rosette, sitting down next to him. She gently wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a warm embrace. "Shh…" she cooed, "it's alright…" She carefully stoked his chest, trying to calm him down. And slowly, his coughing fit subsided, and he began to breathe heavily. "It's all right…" she repeated softly.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered hoarsely, still gasping for air.

Rosette shook her head. "It's my fault, I shouldn't have called you that."

"I shouldn't have thrown the phone at you."

"I shouldn't have thrown anything at you. But…" she smiled, ruffling his hair a bit. "Your head is so thick—I don't think it even hurts!" She giggled, giving him a mini-noogie.

He smiled at her weakly. "…Thank you…" he whispered.

Rosette smiled at him and gave him another hug. "Just don't get too sick again, okay?" he nodded, leaning into his sister's loving embrace.

X

Rosette looked up from the stove the next morning, listening to her brother hopping down the stairs. "_Tip Tap koi wa itsudatte Candy, furu-tsu no you ni Tasty, Good Luck sou ne mainichi ga Sunday, awatenaide My Heart!_" Rosette smiled; Joshua was always singing such goofy songs. "Good morning, Rosette!" he chirped as he skipped into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Joshua," she cooed, still laughing at his song. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yep, yep, yep!" he chirped bubbly, jumping up and down. Rosette giggled, taking the frying pan off the stove. Joshua sat down at the table and stared up at his sister with wide eyes. "Is that okonomiyaki?" he asked hopefully.

Rosette emptied the contents of the pan onto his plate and smiled mischievously. "Nope!" she chirped. "Better—eggs!"

Joshua blew out his cheeks and slowly looked up Rosette. "You _never_ make okonomiyaki." He grumbled. Rosette set the pan down on his head heavily.

"That's because we don't live in Japan." She sighed. Her nose twitched. "What's that smell?" She looked down at the frying pan and gasped—it was still hot! "Ack! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she squeaked, quickly removing it from her brother's head. She stopped and stared down at him. "Didn't that hurt?" she asked.

Joshua shook his head. "Not really…" he mumbled, eating his eggs.

Rosette sighed, slumping over a bit. "Sometimes you really remind me of that Takun guy…"

"Ah ha!" cried Joshua, tilting his head back to stare at his sister. "So THAT'S why my FLCL DVDs have been going missing!"

"No. Way." said Rosette letting the frying pan fall back to his head painfully.

"Owie…you're so mean…!"

"And don't you forget it."

X

"Rosetttteeeeee!" cried Anna, running up to her friend when they arrived at school. "You will NEVER guess what awesomely-cool thing just happened!"

"You got a date with Chrono?" asked Rosette with apathy. Anna turned away and clasped her hands together, completely lost in another world.

"Wouldn't that be wonderful?" she sighed dreamily. "But really," she said, turning back to Rosette and reality. "The student council just announced the date of the Valentine's Dance!"

Rosette stared at her, totally unimpressed. "And…?" she drawled, waving her hand.

"And…There's going to be a King of Hearts competition! The nominees are being selected today!" Rosette stared, not sure of what to say. "And do you know who I'M going to vote for?" questioned Anna, giggling madly.

Rosette groaned. "Chrono…" she muttered. Anna giggled even louder, jumping up and down. "Don't you think that maybe you're a little too obsessed?"

Anna stopped her antics and gasped. "How can you say that? It's worth it when it's for Chrono!"

"Yeah…I'm sure…"

"Anna, Rosette!" called Claire, running up to the two with Mary at her heels. "Guess what, guess what, guess what?"

"We heard," said Anna, turning to them. "The dance and—"

"No!" cried Mary. "Not just that—it's going to be a Sadie Hawkins dance!" The three girls shrieked, hopping around like drugged out bunnies.

"A wha…?" asked Rosette, dumbfounded.

"Rosette!" cried Anna. "Don't you know? A Sadie Hawkins is a dance where the girls ask the boys out!"

"Don't they always?"

"Well…I think ONLY the girls can ask the boys for this one…at least…that's what the student council said…"

Ding Dong Ding Dong! (class, get to class, man! Or the psycho-hippies will get you, man!)

"It'll all be explained over the morning announcements!" called Claire as she dashed off towards the front doors.

"Yeah, whatever…" mumbled Rosette.

X

"…and those are the details of the dance this coming Saturday. The nominees will be announced in tomorrow's morning announcements. Have a nice day, everyone!" the speakers clicked off as the Dean of Students, Dr. Deckard, concluded the announcements. The class went into an uproar, far too excited about the dance to listen to any teacher.

"King of Hearts? That'd be awesome to win!"

"I'm soo voting for Chrono!"

"Ugh…girls…"

"Don't you have to know his last name to vote for him?"

"Crap!"

"They'll figure it out…"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever…" drawled Señor Ricardo, "just write the name of your nomination on a half sheet of paper and pass it forward."

"Ooh," cooed Anna, scribbling Chrono's name down on a piece of paper. "I can't wait for tomorrow's announcements! If only there was a way for it to hurry up be tomorrow already…"

X (and isn't that the glory of scene changes?)

(Next day, first period)

"…and the names of the five nominees are…" began the Dean, "Edward Elric, Storm Valerie, Fai Flowright, Ewan Remington—…Who voted for a teacher?" asked the Dean, cutting off before revealing the final nominee. The class gave a collective groan, cursing the Dean. "Well, whatever… and the final nominee is…Chrono d—" the class went wild, preventing anyone from hearing his last name. But it didn't matter. How many Chronos go to that school anyway? Exactly.

"CHROOOONOOOOOOO!" wooted the girls, as they swooned all together. The boys groaned. They didn't stand a chance against Chrono.

Rosette watched the girls go crazy. The Chrono fan girls screamed his name countless times, the Storm fan girls did a few showy punches that expressed their love, the Ed fan girls gave him many unwanted hugs, and the Remington fan-girl-students began to recite poetry. With all the commotion, it was hard for Rosette to even hear herself think. _'Sadie Hawkins huh…?'_ she stared off into space, wondering what Chrono would think of all this. _'…Wait, who's 'Fai Flowright'?'_

X

"Fai D. Flowright," began Joshua at lunch, "is that senior right over there." He pointed a little ways away, and there, under the shade of a tree (it was nice out, so they were eating outside) was a rather goofy looking blond guy. "He's pretty cool, actually."

"He looks 'ding-a-ling-a-ling', if you know what I mean." stated Rosette, popping a French fry into her mouth.

"Kuro-chiiiiiiiiii!" shouted that Fai guy, wrapping his arms around a very tall, very dark looking boy. "I'm a nomineeeeeeeee!"

"Get off me!" shouted the other boy, wriggling in Fai's grasp. "And stop calling me all those weird names!"

"But Kuro-pi," whined Fai, "they're such cute names! And aren't you excited for me?"

The other boy grunted. "You don't deserve to be King. Where's the kid? I'm sure he's the one that was supposed to be a nominee—girls faint when he walks by for heaven's sake!"

"Oh, but Kuro-rin, you know that Little Puppy's on vacation with the princess in Japan!"

"…'Princess'?" asked the dark boy, looking over his shoulder at Fai.

Fai nodded vigorously. "I think the title becomes her." The other boy stared at him a moment before turning back around and muttering something not-so-nice. "That reminds me," said Fai, reaching into his backpack but still dangling from the other boy. Ooh…he's multi-talented. "Little Puppy sent this to us—it's a souvenir!" He held up a white plush toy that made the other boy cringe. "Isn't it cute?"

"What IS it?" asked the boy, totally freaked out by the adorable plush.

Fai stared at it a moment and then looked back at the boy. "I have absolutely no idea!" he chirped. The other boy sighed. "But to me, it looks like a marshmallow." He said with a broad grin, poking the toy.

"…looks more like an over sized pork bun." Fai gasped and held out the toy. "What is it?" shouted the dark boy defensively.

"It can talk!" squeaked Fai. The boy fell flat on his face, Fai now sat on his back. "See? It says right here—'squeeze my ear to make me talk'!" The boy stared, eyes twitching, just about ready to kill Fai. Fai giggled and pinched the toy's ear. Its eyes popped open to six times their normal size, and it emitted some high-pitched squeaky noise like 'MEKYO!' "How adorable!" cheered Fai, pinching the ear again.

"THAT'S JUST CREEPY!" Screamed the boy; having scooted away several feet away, heart pounding loudly in his chest. "It should be burned!"

"Yay! S'mores!" chirped the toy. The two stared at it.

"D…does it know what we're saying…?" asked the dark boy, eyes all bugged out like the toy's.

"Wouldn't that be something…?" cooed Fai. The other boy groaned.

"Totally weird…" said Rosette staring at the two.

"Y'know," said Joshua, "it's kinda rude to eavesdrop on people."

"Yeah, yeah…" sighed Rosette turning away from the pair.

A little ways away, in the secluded courtyard, Chrono and his insane band sat eating lunch. "Oh man…" whined Genai, poking his sandwich. "I can't believe Chrono's a nominee and I'm not!"

Rizelle snorted. "That's because unlike you, Chrono's really cute."

"Just what do you mean by that?" shouted Genai, standing up.

"Under the section of 'what's hot and what's not'," began Shader wagging her finger at him. "Chrono's 'hot' and you're 'not'!" she chirped. Genai growled at her and turned away.

"Who asked you, freak?" he snorted. Shader frowned and stared down at her lunchbox.

"Knock it off you two. It's not like I asked for this…" sighed Chrono. "Now every girl will be even more up in my face."

"What a shame," drawled Aion, also jealous of Chrono. "Guess that means you'll have even less time to spend with your little girlfriend."

Chrono flinched and then blushed. _'Th-that's right…'_ he thought,_ 'I-I wonder if Rosette will ask me to the dance?'_

"Hey," said Shader, still not looking up from her lunchbox. "Isn't it like a rule or something about Sadie Hawkins' that the boy a girl asks can't turn her down?"

"Maybe…" said Rizelle.

Chrono stiffened. _'Th-that means that first girl will…'_ He stood up and rushed away from the others without a word.

"Hey!" called Viede. "Where're you going?"

Chrono snuck up behind Rosette, making sure that no one else could see him. "Psst," he whispered, "Rosette!"

Rosette turned around and gasped. "Chrono?" she hissed. "What're you doing? I thought we agreed not to talk to each other at school?"

"I know, but this is urgent!" he whispered, still crouched in the bushes. "D-do you h-have anything you w-want to ask me?" he asked, blushing furiously.

"Huh?" asked Rosette, utterly confused.

Chrono sighed and tried to make it easier to understand. "Aren't you going to ask me to the dance…?" he asked. Rosette tsk-ed and turned back to her lunch.

"As if," she said, not facing Chrono. "Like I'd go to some stupid dance—especially with you."

X

X

X

Kuro-chi: Ha ha, you just got dissed.

Chrono: Shaddup! (bashes head in with baseball bat)

Fai: Whee! We got a cameo!

Chrono: You were a pointless character! (also bashes head in with baseball bat)

Fiore: Are you just going to keep killing people?

Chrono: I think you know the answer to that. (wipes away blood from bat)

Azzy: Hey Chrono, I just graded you homework from last night. You got 2/5 points.

Chrono: WHY?

Azzy: You didn't do the graph and—(gets head bashed in by Chrono)

Chrono: Any other teacher's think I'm a bad student?

Other Teachers: (runs away)

Chrono: GET BACK HERE! (runs after them)

Fiore: This is gonna be messy.

Satella: Aren't you going to do a question?

Fiore: Hm? Well…I'm kinda bored with all that nonsense. Like you said, it was a waste of time.

Satella: Humor me—I'm so close to winning.

Fiore: Ugh…fine…Hmm…let's see, how 'bout **Where the hell am I in this story?**

Satella: Okay—wait. What kinda question is that? And you didn't even give a point range.

Fiore: I'll point how I choose. But I wanna know: where AM I? I haven't been seen outside the author's notes for several chapters!

Satella: Maybe no one likes you?

Fiore: (grabs baseball bat and bashes head in) How do you like THEM apples, bitch?

Chrono: (stares) Whoa…Fiore's ghetto.


	17. Chapter 16

Fiore: Ah ha ha ha! (laughs hysterically)

Chrono: Umm…What's wrong?

Fiore: What's NOT wrong you mean? We did it, we did it! We finished the Valentine's special on time!

Chrono: Um, this is only part one, you know.

Fiore: Oh, for the love of—

X

X

X

"Aren't you going to ask me to the dance…?" he asked. Rosette tsk-ed and turned back to her lunch.

"As if," she said, not facing Chrono. "Like I'd go to some stupid dance—especially with you."

X

X

X

In the Life of a Rock Star

Chapter 16: Woot, its Valentine's!

Part 1: The Dance

X

X

X

"B-but…" stuttered Chrono, still staring up at Rosette. "I thought…"

Rosette sighed and glanced over her shoulder at him. "Just go away, okay? We can talk after school." With that, she stood up and walked away over to Anna and Claire.

"You okay?" asked Joshua, leaning back and looking at Chrono upside down. Eww…that looks painful… Chrono shook his head slowly, muttered "nothing", and disappeared into the bushes.

"Where'd you go?" asked Rizelle as Chrono made his way back into the courtyard. He flopped down next to his lunch and sighed heavily. "What's wrong?" she asked. Chrono shook his head and turned the other way.

"Hey," said Shader, "the King of Hearts nominees were called down to the office a minute ago. They're probably wondering where you are." Without a single word, Chrono stood up and went back inside the school.

"Aren't you worried about him?" asked Rizelle, slightly irritated with Shader.

Shader looked down at her apple and smiled sadly. "I know what happened, and why it hurts. I also know that he really doesn't want to talk about it." She said quietly.

Rizelle cocked her head and blinked at the other girl. "What're you talking about?"

X

Chrono stood in front of Dr. Deckard's office door, staring at the floor. _'I wonder…'_ he thought sadly. _'I wonder if I hadn't been elected as a nominee, would Rosette have said yes?'_ He continued to stare at the floor and would've probably stayed like that all day if the door hadn't swung open at that very moment.

"There you are!" cried Ed, dragging him into the office.

"Alright," began Deckard, "now that you all are finally here, I would like to explain the occupation of King to you." He looked at the four boys (plus the teacher) that were standing in front of him, all with a blank stare on there faces. "To win this title," he continued, standing up and beginning to pace around them like a military general (which just happened to remind Ed of the times when his uncle would scold him). "You must collect money in these five containers." He motioned to his desk where five identical plastic jars sat with each of the boys names on them. "The profits will go to charity, but the point is—which ever of you collects the most money will be named the King of Hearts." He stopped behind them and barked "understand?"

"Yes sir!" shouted Ed automatically. The others stared at him while he realized what he'd just done and slumped over, being an embarrassed idiot.

"Well…anyway…" said Deckard, trying to fill the awkward silence. "Here you go," he handed the jars to the boys. "Now, try your best! And remember: it's for charity. Now get out of my office!"

X

By the end of sixth period, Deckard had made an announcement telling the rest of the school the same thing that he had told the boys, and oh, did those jars start filling up. Remington had gained five dollars from each of his students just that class period—the girls promising they'd bring more tomorrow. Fai was doing little street shows, even though he didn't have to, but was still bringing in twenties. Ed had accumulated over eighty dollars already, and Storm…let's just say the leading excuse was 'sorry, I just saw Chrono and couldn't resist!' Which brings us to Chrono; one of the girls felt so bad for him, she emptied her backpack on the spot so he could use it as a second jar. Over two hundred dollars! Sure, he _should_ be very excited about this, but as a result of what Rosette had said at lunch, he was mostly just staring off into space, which for some reason, his fan girls didn't notice.

X

Ding Dong Ding Dong! (go home, or else (insert terrible threat here))

"Man…" sighed Ed, walking out with the other student nominees. "Carrying that dumb bucket around all day is such a hassle."

"I thought it was fun!" chirped Fai.

"Only because you were acting like a circus monkey," grumbled Storm. He turned to Chrono and glared. "How hard was it for YOU?" he asked darkly. His first income was a far cry from Chrono's, and he was quite upset over it. He waited for the boy's answer, but when Chrono didn't even acknowledge him, he snapped. "Hey!" he shouted, slamming his hand down on his shoulder. "I'm talkin' to you!"

"Huh?" Chrono turned around, still dazed, unaware of how heavy the taller boy's hand was. "Did you say something?"

Storm growled. "Nothing…" he grumbled between gritted teeth. He removed his hand and turned away, fuming.

"So…" began Fai, trying to break the ice. "Who do you want to ask you to the dance? Since it's a Sadie Hawkins' and all…"

"My, what a good question!" chirped Remington, suddenly appearing behind the group. They all screamed in surprise.

"Where the heck did you come from?" shouted Storm. The teacher chuckled and wagged his finger at the boy.

"You know, a great teacher never reveals his lesson plans." He stated.

"Ooh…" cooed Fai, smiling broadly. "Just like a magician! The girls are right—there's something magic about you!"

"Uhh…Fai?" asked Ed slowly. "I think the girls mean it in a different way."

"Hm? How so?

"Ugh…never mind…"

"So!" squeaked Fai, clapping his hands together. "Who's everyone's lucky lady?"

"Y-you wouldn't know her…" mumbled Ed, cheeks flushed a soft pink.

"I hope she doesn't go to a different school." chirped Remington.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I think she may not be allowed to go."

Ed snorted and turned away. "Well if that's the case, I'd rather not go at all."

Mr. Remington laughed. "You know, this whole Sadie Hawkins' thing is more of a guideline than a rule. You're still allowed to ask a girl."

"What a relief!" cried Fai, letting out a huge sigh. "'Cause the girl I wanna go with is way too shy to ask me."

"Oh? What's her name?" asked Remington.

"I call her my little Chi-Chi!" squealed the blond. "May I ask who YOU'RE going with, Ewan?"

The teacher smiled and held his chin, doing a sort of flashy pose. "I can't give you her name, but she's very kind, beautiful, and has eyes for only me."

Fai thought for a second. "Is it Miss K—"

Remington slapped his hand over the boy's mouth. "Now, now," he said, slightly flustered. "Let's not start any rumors before the dance, shall we?" Fai nodded and Remington removed his hand. "What about you, Mr. Valerie?"

Storm stopped walking and turned to them. "Well…I haven't really given it much thought." He said, staring up at the sky. "But really…I think Rosette's gonna ask me."

Chrono stopped, not looking up at any of them. "Why do you say that?" he asked quietly.

"Because, isn't it obvious? She's totally into me! I've seen it from day one. Rosette's got the hotts for me!" he stated proudly. Chrono began to walk fast away from the others.

"You're wrong." He muttered before leaving through the front gates.

"What got into him?" asked Storm, utterly confused.

X

"There," sighed Maggie, setting a huge stack of papers down on the kitchen table. "No more taxes to do." She heard the front door click unlock and someone come in. She dashed over to meet them and cheered with a great big smile "welcome home!" Chrono slammed the door, making Maggie cringe, and walked pass her without a word. "What's wrong?" she called after him as he headed upstairs. "It seems like there's been something wrong with you every day since you started high school!" she heard the door to his room shut and she sighed, flopping down in a chair at the kitchen table. "Be a teacher, my mother said. I wanna be a manager, I said. Whatever, as long as you're not a mother, she said, you'd make a lousy one! Boy, she had no idea…"

X

Chrono flopped down on his bed and sighed heavily. _'He was just being an idiot,'_ he told himself._ 'Rosette wouldn't actually go out with a guy like him, would she?'_ he sighed again and turned over onto his stomach._ 'But then again…Storm isn't a shrimp—he actually looks his age. He's tall and has that bad-boy thing going for him. But what do I have? Kid sized shoes and hair that makes me look like a girl, that's what!'_ he sat up and stared out the window—it was snowing. Chrono let out a pent up scream and ruffled his hair. "Quit it!" he yelled. "You know she likes you, isn't that good enough?" he flopped down onto his pillows. "No…" he whispered. "Because I know I'M good enough…" he wrapped his arms around his pillow and buried his face in it. _'I wonder,'_ he thought, _'would Rosette like me more if I wasn't so small…?'_

X

Rosette flopped down on the coach, already in her pajamas. She grabbed one of the pillows and hugged it tightly, blankly watching whatever TV program Joshua was. Joshua put the TV on mute and looked over at her. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Why do you think something's wrong?" she asked stubbornly.

"Because," said Satella, patting Rosette on the head as she sat down beside her. "Mein liebes Kind is your brother, and he alvays knows ven something's wrong." She smirked, pulling her legs up onto the couch. "Besides, I know zat something's wrong, too."

"Well…" started Rosette, staring down at her pillow. "It's just that…I didn't get a chance to explain myself to Chrono today."

"Since you turned him down for the dance?" asked Joshua; Rosette threw an extra pillow at him.

"I had a good reason, you know." she pouted.

"Oh really?" asked Satella, propping her chin up on her hand. "Aren't you supposed to be his girlfriend? I don't see vat ze problem of going to a silly little dance vith him is. If you keep acting like zis, he might du—"

"I know!" cried Rosette, burying her face in the pillow. "I know…I'm just…scared, okay?"

"Of vat?" yelled Satella, almost jumping up. "You have vat every ozer girl in ze vorld vants, and you're scared of him?"

"Not of him!" shouted Rosette, still not lifting her head. "Of…of what'll happen…"

"Afraid of the fan girls, are we?" asked Joshua with a smug grin.

"No…you know how when one those secret-celebrity relationships get exposed, something bad always happens?"

"Yeah…?"

"Well…I just don't want anything bad to happen to him."

"Quit being such a vorry-vart!" Rosette looked up at Satella, tears sparkling in the corners of her eyes. "He likes you, and there's no avoiding zat! He probably knows ze consequences and are villing to take zem because he knows zat you're vorth it!"

"But…"

"No buts! Unless it's YOU zat doesn't vant to get close to him, zen—"

"It's not that!" cried Rosette. "I DO want to be close to him, it's just…"

"Just vat? I say, go to him first thing tomorrow and tell him how much you like him! Then, you're going to ask him to ze dance, and pray zat no one else already has!"

"…" Rosette smiled. "You're one tough mom, you know that?"

Satella giggled and mussed her hair a little. "You're von loose canon, you know zat?"

"Hey!" cried Joshua from his little chair. "What am I, beef stroganoff?"

Satella laughed and quickly moved to his side. "No, you're mein liebes Kind!" she giggled, giving him a great big hug.

Rosette watched her family being the weird goofballs they are, all the while thinking _'Yes, I'm going to tell him tomorrow, and I'm going to stop being so pessimistic. Wait for me, okay Chrono?'_

X

"Chrono!" called Shader the next morning, knocking on his door. "Wakey wakey, sunshine!"

"Mmm…" he mumbled, throwing the covers further over his head. "Go away…"

Shader tsk-ed. "Be that way!" she called. "But when you don't go to school because you're a sleepy-head, don't look at me to drag that bucket around all day!" With that, Chrono heard her skip down the stairs.

He rubbed his eye and slowly scooted to the edge of the bed, falling out of it in slow-motion. He sleepily stood up and wobbled over to his dresser. He slumped down on one of the open drawers and stayed there for a minute, trying to wake up. He blinked and looked down at the drawer he was leaning on. _'Wait…'_ he thought groggily._ 'I don't remember my dresser being this short…'_ He glanced across his room and stared at his reflection in the mirror.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"What is it? What happened?" came Maggie's worried voice from behind his door.

"Don't come in! Don't come in!" he screamed.

Maggie stopped just as she was about to turn the doorknob. "What's wrong? Why won't you let me—"

"Just don't come in!" he yelled.

"Ooh," giggled Shader, also interested as to why he was making such a racket this early in the morning. "Someone was moping so much last night that they ate too much ice cream and puffed out, didn't they?"

"NO!" he yelled, clearly embarrassed.

"Just go get ready," said Maggie, pushing Shader away. "When everyone else is at school, THEN will you come out and talk?" she called. She waited a moment before she heard a quiet, but definitive, "yeah" from Chrono. "Alright, that's better," with that, she finally forced Shader back downstairs.

X

"Where is he?" mumbled Rosette, nervously glancing around the school yard. "Why isn't he here? Did I get him mad at me again?"

"Its fine," sighed Joshua, patting her on the back. "I'm sure he's just late, is all."

"But what if he IS mad at me? How am I supposed to apologize to him if he isn't here?"

"I told you, its fine! Quit worrying so much."

"That's easy for you to say." mumbled Rosette, blowing out her cheeks. She spotted Fiore a little ways away and waved to her. But when she saw Rosette, she blushed, turned, and quickly walked away. "What's gotten into her?" asked Rosette.

Joshua sighed. "I dunno…every since we were cast in the play, she's been avoiding me like I'm the plague or somethin'."

"Did you make her mad?"

"I don't think so…ooh! Big sister's so complicated!"

"Maybe if you stopped calling her big sister and started treating her with some dignity, she'd be more obliged to come back to you."

Joshua stared at her for a moment, turned away, and then said "that's not even funny."

"I wasn't joking." grumbled Rosette, also turning away.

X

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" cried Anna in second period. "Where is he? Where IS he?" she screamed again, pacing around the room. "How could Chrono NOT be here? I dug every cent I had out of my savings account and brought it to school—to give to him!"

"Jeez, calm down," mumbled Rosette, wanting very much for Anna to shut up about Chrono. "I'm sure he'll be here tomorrow."

"But I brought everything today!"

Rosette ballad her fists, sick of listening to the girl complain. "Just shut the hell up, okay?" she screamed, jumping up. "He'll be here tomorrow no matter what, got that?"

"Uh," Anna stopped and stared at Rosette, quite scared. "Um…o-okay."

"Thank you," sighed Rosette flopping back down in here chair.

X

Ding Dong Ding Dong! (_sweet home Ala-uh…New York?_)

"Bye Rosette!" called Mary, Anna, and Claire as they headed off towards their dorm. "See you tomorrow!"

"Bye…" said Rosette quietly, waving back at them. She sighed and slumped back against the wall, waiting for someone to come out of the building. After a few minutes, Shader leapt through the doors and bounded off the steps, all the while singing some goofy song. "Uh, hey—Shader!" called Rosette, beginning to chase after her.

Shader turned on her heel and smiled. "What's up, Rosy-Posy?" she chirped.

"Uh—!" Rosette stopped and looked away. "It's just, um…D-do you know why Chrono wasn't here today?"

"Actually, no," she said, crossing her arms. "All I know was that he was really freaked out this morning and wouldn't come out of his room."

"A-are you sure?"

Shader looked over up at her and giggled. "Don't worry," she reassured, patting Rosette on the back. "I know what happened between you two yesterday, and I'm sure him not being here has nothing to do with it."

Rosette looked up in surprise. "How do you kno—"

Shader wagged her finger, silencing Rosette. "'Cause the boy I asked out turned me down too. But I think the reason why you didn't say yes was a little more complicated, am I right?" Rosette nodded.

"Hey, Shader!" called a voice from the front gates. "Get those other bums and get over here!" it was Maggie.

"Ooh!" cooed Shader, clapping her hands together. "You came to pick us up, right Mags?"

"No," droned Maggie. "I'm Santa, here to deliver presents. Of course I came to pick you guys up!" She glanced into the backseat and said something to the person slouching there. Soon, their inaudible whispers became a shouting match. "Get out!" screamed Maggie.

"No!"

"What's the big deal?"

"There could be someone watching!"

Maggie groaned. "That's it," she got out of the car and opened the backdoor opposite to Shader so no one could exactly see what she was doing. "GET OUT!"

"You can't make me!"

"Oh…yes…I…can…!" shouted Maggie through gritted teeth, trying to shove the person out of the car.

"Why do you want me out so badly?"

"'Cuz, Viede said he was going to bring home his tri-fold today, so it'll be easier to squeeze you guys around it rather than visa versa!"

"Why didn't you just say so?" asked the person, letting his guard down. Without realizing it, Maggie pushed one more time, and out popped Chrono from the car, falling painfully on his face. "OWE!"

"Oops…"

Rosette kept still, did he see her? Well, due to Shader standing in front of her, Rosette assumed that she wasn't visible from where Chrono lay on the ground. She was about to call to him when he stood up, but she stopped dead; just staring at him.

"Ooh," cooed Shader. "Nice clothes, Chrono? Were you out shopping ALL DAY with Maggie?"

"Yeah, what of it?" he asked stubbornly, turning to face her. He saw Rosette hiding behind Shader and blanched. Rosette stared back at him, eyes all bugged out. "Rosette," he whispered. Her face lit up like a Christmas light as she shook her head rapidly, dashing passed him. "Wait!" he called after her. He reached out a hand but she swatted it away, quickly running home without a word. When she had disappeared around the corner, Chrono took a deep breath and turned to Maggie. "Now do you see why I didn't want to come?" he yelled.

"How was I supposed to know that she'd be here?" she yelled back.

"Quit it, you two!" yelled Shader, breaking up the fight before it began. "Can we please just go home?"

"Whatever," mumbled Chrono.

X

Rosette slammed the door behind her and slid down against it, relieved that Joshua wasn't home from practice yet. She waited, and when no one came to greet her, she assumed that Satella was also out. Rosette sighed, cheeks still on fire._ 'Why did I run away?'_ she asked herself. _'Why is my heart going crazy all of a sudden?'_ she held her hand up to her chest to feel her heart pounding loudly. She took a quivering breath. _'What's wrong with me? Just because he was…was…—it doesn't mean that I should have run away!'_ She jammed her eyes shut, the heat in her face only growing. She moaned. _'What's wrong with me?'_

X

Chrono stared at the ceiling the next morning, not daring to remove his covers it was so cold. He glanced out his window and gasped. The snow had piled up so high that all he could see was white. "Chronoooooooo!" called Shader from outside his door. "Guess what, guess what?" she cheered.

He groaned, flopping back down; it was too early to listen to her. "What?" he called.

"It's a snow day!"

"WHAT?" he yelled sitting up abruptly, making himself dizzy.

"That's right! 27 inches of snow!"

"You gotta be kidding me!"

"Nope! Just look outside!" Chrono shot out of bed and ran to his window, pressing his cheeks against the freezing glass. He gasped in amazement and heard Shader giggle at him from behind his door. "Told you so! Now hurry up and get downstairs—me and Rizelle are making pancakes!"

"Hai!" shouted Chrono, rushing over to his dresser and grabbing a shirt. Shader giggled again before running down the hall to tell Genai the same thing. Chrono grinned while pulling his shirt over his head. _'This is great!'_ he thought cheerfully,_ 'Since it's this cold out, Rosette and I can go ice skating aga—'_ he stopped, midway through slipping his arm through the sleeve. He frowned._ 'That's right…She's still totally freaked out by me.'_ He finished getting his shirt on and stared at himself in the mirror. He burned the image of his new height into his mind, forgetting what he looked like when he was short. _'I had wanted to be taller, so Rosette would like me more, but now…'_ he sighed,_ 'I don't think she can even stand to look at me.'_ He sat down on his bed and stared out the window. He turned his gaze to his nightstand and spotted the yellow ribbon sitting by his alarm clock. He smiled warmly and picked it up. He strung the golden lace through his fingers and reached behind his head, beginning to braid his thick locks of hair._ 'I'll give her a day to think things over,'_ he thought, smiling to himself. _'Then we can talk.'_ He tied the ribbon in a small bow and tossed his braid over his shoulder, letting it flop softly against his back. _'That's when I can ask her—'_

"Chronoooo!" called Shader from downstairs. "Pancakes—get your butt down here!"

"Yeah, yeah," he called back.

X

"Rosette!" called Anna the next morning. "Can you believe this snow?" Rosette smiled at her friend and laughed a little as Anna hopped about, trying to keep her clothes dry. "Is something wrong?" Rosette shook her head and continued down the path to the school. "You haven't said a word all morning." Rosette shook her head again, and ran up the steps even faster. "…weird," muttered Anna after a moment.

X

Ding Dong Ding Dong! (turn off ye iPods and get to class!)

Rosette flopped down in her chair in the choir room. Somehow she'd managed to avoid even looking at Chrono all day. She didn't know why, but whenever she saw him now, that squishy knot that almost never popped up in her stomach would. And it wasn't a very nice feeling, either. It always made her so uncomfortable that she felt the need to run out of the room—like she had two days ago when she saw him after school. But now it would be a lot harder to avoid him, seeing as he sat behind her in this class and wasn't here yet, Rosette won't be able to resist looking up at him when he came in. She looked up, and speak of the devil (A/N: Ha ha, very funny. Devil—demon—sinner; I crack me up. (note the sarcasm.)), it was Chrono and the band coming in. Rosette tried her best to keep her eyes glued to her feet, but when he brushed by her, she couldn't help but glance up at him. Ew…there's that squishy knot again…

"Hey," whispered someone from behind Rosette, gently placing their hand on her shoulder. Rosette winced and slowly turned around; it was Chrono. "Can we talk?" he asked quietly. Before Rosette could answer, though, Chrono's fan girls came bounding up to him, screaming their approval of his new look like it was a new hair style or something. He never did get the chance to talk to Rosette that period, or for the rest of that day, for that matter.

X

Ding Dong Ding Dong! (so…tired…GO HOME!)

"Rosette!" called someone after school. She turned around—it didn't sound like Chrono; it was Storm. "Hey," he cooed, wrapping an arm around her waist. "There's only one day left until the dance, you know."

"What of it?" she asked bitterly.

--

Chrono sighed, coming out of the school. Today was hell, and he still hadn't gotten the chance to talk with Rosette. That's when he spotted it; what appeared to be Rosette and Storm cuddling up to each other. Chrono practically dropped all his books right there. He couldn't believe it—and after she promised that she'd never cheat on him again! He felt tears sting the corners of his eyes, but for some reason, he couldn't look away. The two were close enough that he could see every move they made, though he was still too far away to hear what they were saying.

--

"I was thinking," continued Storm, still snuggling up to Rosette. "Maybe you and I could go together? I mean, who else can you go with?"

Before he knew it, the boy felt a stinging pain shoot through his cheek and a shrill noise echo through his ears; Rosette had slapped him—hard. "I will never, EVER go out with you, got it? So don't ever try to coddle me like that again." She stated darkly before stomping away.

--

Chrono stared after her, smiling a little. _'I guess I shouldn't jump to conclusions like that.' _He thought happily. He stopped and mentally kicked himself—that was the perfect moment to finally talk to her! Doh!

X

"Joshua!" called Rosette the next day—Saturday, the dance. How in the world it had crept up on them so quickly, Rosette would never know. "Joshua!" she called again. She sighed. Not only was she not going to the dance, had never gotten the chance to talk with Chrono, or even know who he was now going to go with now, but she had to drive her little brother there, even though she had no idea who his date was. "Joshua!" she called irritably. "What's taking you so damn long?"

"Oh, quiet!" he yelled back from inside his room.

"What on earth are you doing in there?" she finally opened the door and peeked inside to see him standing in front of the mirror, fiddling with his tie. "Oh, for the love of…" she muttered, marching over to him. She swatted his hands away and took hold of the tie—fixing it up for him.

"…thanks…" he muttered, blushing and not looking at his sister.

"The sooner I drive you to this thing, the sooner I can leave." She grumbled irritably.

Joshua blinked at her in surprise. "Didn't you and Chrono make up yet?" Rosette stopped fixing his tie for a second and glared up at him. Joshua gulped, "n-never mind…" he stuttered, letting his sister do her work.

"There," she stated monotonously, lightly slapping her brother's chest. "Now can we please go?" He nodded and Rosette pulled out her car keys; so very ready to get this over with.

X

"Be safe, play nice, and remember—no dirty dancing." cautioned Rosette as Joshua closed the car door behind him.

"Yeah, yeah…" he muttered, not paying attention to his sister.

"Hey," called Rosette before he could get too far away. "Who's your date?"

Joshua stopped, looked back, and laughed nervously. "Eh heh…I don't think you want to know."

Rosette scowled. "And why wouldn't I?" she asked darkly.

But her question was then answered. "Joshuaaaa!" called a tiny voice. A small girl came running up to him and smiled brightly. "Sorry to keep you waiting!" she chirped.

"S'okay, I just got here myself."

"SHE'S your date?" screamed Rosette, gawking at the small girl.

Joshua wrapped his arm her and started to back away from the car. "Y-you know, it's really not what you're thinking. We're going strictly as friends—promise."

"Jo…shu…a!" growled Rosette leaning toward him, still in the car.

"W-well, we'll see you later!" called Joshua, turning around abruptly and sprinting for the school.

"Get back here!" yelled Rosette after the two.

"I-I'll see you in class on Monday, Rosette!" called Azmaria as Joshua dragged her into the building.

Rosette huffed and started the car again, going back home.

X

Chrono sighed and leaned back against the wall of the gym. "What's up?" chirped Shader, joining him. He shook his head, not looking at her. Shader smiled warmly and looked away. "Thanks for asking me out."

"You invited yourself." said Chrono quietly.

Shader giggled. "That was so we could cheer each other up!" she squeaked. She looked over at Chrono, who wasn't even smiling. She sighed. "Don't worry about this." She said reassuringly. "There're just too many things you two haven't worked out yet."

"Why?" asked Chrono quietly. "Why do you think she didn't want to go out with me?"

Shader stared at the ground for a moment._ 'Because you're famous and she didn't want to get caught up in that? Because you had an overnight growth spurt and she just got freaked out? Or maybe it's because it seems that you two are always in a fight?'_ "I dunno," she said quietly. "There could be a ton of reasons why, but sometimes we just can't know these things."

"Right…" whispered Chrono sadly. "Just can't know…"

X

About an hour and a half later, everyone was going crazy, having a blast. The DJ had given up on the slow songs and was blasting the music louder than every. But Chrono could care less. Just as he had done for the rest of the dance, he stayed in the far corner, staring off into space. He sighed and pushed himself off the wall and headed for the door, thinking some fresh air would do him good. Once he got out the door, though, he seriously began to think that fresh air was overrated. It was freezing out! The snow was still falling, though, more lightly granted, be it was still falling nevertheless. Chrono shivered, suppressing a sneeze. He slowly made his way down the front steps, but stopped. Something told him that if he went any further, he'd regret it. But then, when had he ever listened to that little voice? He went to put his foot on the next step, but somehow, slipped. He fell painfully on his behind and slid down the last several steps, skidding to a halt beside the tall brick walls that held mini-gardens several feet above. "Owe…" he moaned quietly, rubbing his back. He looked up, and there, sitting on a bench by one of the garden walls, was

"Rosette?" asked Chrono in disbelief. "What're you doing here?" He waited, but she didn't even turn to look at him. "Hey," he started again, standing up and slowly moving towards her. Unfortunately, he is probably one of the clumsiest people on the face of the planet, because as soon as he stood up, he slipped again and fell flat on his ass. "Argh!" he yelled, tired of bruising his backside. Rosette straightened, as if something had caught her attention. Then, very slowly, she turned to Chrono, and when she saw him, her eyes grew wide and she scooted back a little on the bench. "W-wait," started Chrono, reaching out a hand, still trying to get to his feet. Eventually, he did manage to slip and slid over to the bench and pull himself up onto it. "Okay," he panted, sitting slouched beside her. He took a deep breath and faced Rosette. "C-can we talk?" he asked, cheeks flushed slightly. She nodded slowly, staring at her feet. "Good," said Chrono, staring at his own shoes. Neither of them spoke for several minutes._ 'What am I doing?'_ shouted Chrono mentally. _'I finally have her right here with me, ready to listen, so why can't I say anything?'_ He sighed and brought his gaze up slightly. "Y-you know…Rosette…" he began quietly, still not sure of what to say. "Um…there's something…I have to ask you…"

"…what is it?" asked Rosette softly.

Chrono flinched, face turning even redder. "Uh-um, that is—I, ah…" he stopped and took another deep breath. He gripped his pants, bunching up the fabric in his fists. "I…um…I just want to know…How…how do you feel about me…?" he held his breath, scared to hear her answer. "I mean, we say that we're going out, and everyone calls you my girlfriend, but…" he trailed off, cheeks on fire and thinking that he had just ruined everything.

"Well," began Rosette quietly, still refusing to look at him. "Ever…ever since your, um…height change…I've been getting all these weird feelings."

Chrono frowned. "What kind of weird feelings?"

"I dunno…but, I've been thinking about this a lot, so…" she held her arms up, cradling herself in a protective way. "Chrono, I…"

"You don't have to say it." He whispered sadly, closing his eyes, holding back tears. Why did she always have to make this so hard? "I think I know what you're going to say, and you don't have to—I get it."

"No, you don't!" she cried, finally looking up at him, tears sparkling in her eyes. She took his hands into her own and gazed into his eyes. "I don't think you've ever gotten it…" she whispered. "I…it's because, Chrono, I…" she rested her forehead on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "It's because I love you, I really do…"

Chrono sighed and wrapped his arms around her, carefully resting his head on hers. "Silly," he whispered, "I already knew that."

Rosette sat up, pulling away from him. "You did?" she asked, out of breath. He nodded. She pursed her lips and narrowed her tearful gaze. "You made me go through all of that just to tell you something you already knew?" she cried. He nodded again. "You…you jerk!" she shouted, pressing her hands against his chest in an attempt to push him. But with his new height, it was considerably harder. "I can't believe you put me through all that!" she tried to push him again, but ended up collapsing onto him. Chrono tenderly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a warm embrace.

"But I wanted to hear you say it…" he whispered, snuggling up with her. Rosette nodded as much as she could and looked up at him. "Because I love you, too," he leaned down to her, hesitantly hovering inches above her face. He closed his eyes and gave her a quick chaste kiss. And before he knew it, Rosette had wrapped her arms around his neck and laced her fingers through his loose strands of hair. She pulled him back down to her and pressed her lips against his. Chrono held her tighter, wanting to find a way to get even closer to her. Rosette scooted closer, hopping up onto his lap, the two practically falling backwards. Rosette deepened the kiss, never wanting it to end.

From inside, they could hear one of the teachers' muffled voices over the speakers. _"And the winner of the King of Hearts competition is…"_ they announced._ "Chrono du Monium!"_ it shouted. The kids inside went wild, applauding the victor loudly. But when he didn't come up onto the stage, the teacher called his name again. But still, he wouldn't come. There was no where in the entire world that Chrono would rather be at that moment than outside with Rosette.

At last their kiss broke, each leaning back a little, trying to catch their breath. Rosette glanced up at Chrono, smiling a little and still panting. Chrono smiled back and reached his hands up to her cheeks, holding her firmly and leaning down to kiss her again.

"_Chrono, mon fils!_" shouted an older woman's voice from over by the front gates, tearing the two away from each other. "_Qu'est-ce tu fait?"_ she demanded.

"_Maman!_" shouted Chrono, eyes wide in utter shock. "_Qu'est-ce vous fait ici?_"

Rosette kept looking back and forth between the two, wondering what in heaven's name was going on.

X

X

X

Fiore: And that's the end of that.

Chrono: The first part anyway. And you know, when we were writing that kissy-scene, it seemed a whole lot better.

Fiore: Yeah, I know what you mean. But since we're stuck in the authoress' world, even if she's dead, our talents are limited to hers.

Chrono: Meaning that we have absolutely ZERO romantic experience.

Fiore: Exactly. Speaking of the dead authoress, since she is dead, we, unfortunately, have inherited all her homework.

Chrono: Meaning there's an English research paper due tomorrow and she, meaning we, haven't started yet. Am I right?

Fiore: Yes. So don't expect part 2 up any time soon. And if it does pop up, you'll know that we'll be getting an F on that paper.

Chrono: _Sigh_, I hate school.

Fiore: Yes, but you'll find this funny. Before you killed her, the authoress had picked out France to be part of her paper. Get it? France—French, like your mom?

Chrono: Spoiler-sport.

Fiore: Heh heh…(and thank you to **Merodi-chan** (and my parents) for helping me with the French. Also to **crimson-deathangel-amber** for fixing my German). See you in who knows how long!


	18. Chapter 17

Fiore: Excuse?

Chrono: Stuff kept coming up.

Fiore: Good enough.

X

X

X

Rosette sighed, dropping her keys on the little table by the door. _'Why should I care so much about some stupid dance?' _she thought sadly. She flopped down on the couch and stared at the neatly wrapped box that sat on the coffee table. _'It doesn't matter to me whether or not I go.'_ She pulled her knees up to her chin and glanced away from the box. _'But…Is Chrono going…? With…with another girl…?'_ she considered this for a moment before shaking her head roughly. _'Of course he is! He's a nominee for goodness sake! Why wouldn't he be going with another girl? …But…Why does he have to…?'_ Rosette slumped back on the sofa, cursing herself for not saying 'yes' when he had asked her. Her gaze returned to the box sitting on the table. Rosette hesitantly reached out and took it into her hands, resting it on her lap. She stared down at the little tag that had 'To: Miss Meany-Pants, From: Joshua' written sloppily on it. She smiled a little at her brother's messy handwriting and gently tugged at the blue bow that sealed the box shut, though, Rosette already knew what was in it. She carefully removed the lid, and her smile faded at the sight of the rose embroidered white dress._ 'Why did Joshua buy this thing for me? I mean…It's not like I'm going to that…stupid…dance…'_ Rosette sniffled, just then noticing the tears that were softly falling onto the dress. She quickly swiped at her eyes, hating herself for this. One stupid little word, that's all it would've taken. So why hadn't she said it? She knew that she loved him, so why did she keep running away like this?

'_That's it,'_ she thought finally, standing up, still staring down at the dress. _'I don't care who he went with. I'm gonna go there and I'm gonna tell him, and then we can share our first dance…'_ Rosette sighed, holding the box close to her heart. _'I WILL tell him…I just hope…That he feels the same way still…'_ With that, Rosette dashed up to her room and changed into the dress. She slipped on a long coat so the little bit of the skirt that could be seen stuck out funny.

She got into her car and drove to the school. She made it as far as the garden walls before losing her nerve. She flopped down on a bench and sighed, cursing herself again for chickening out. Rosette hugged herself, shivering in the cold weather; it was snowing again. _'Am I just going to sit out here until I freeze to death?'_ she asked herself sarcastically. She heard the music from inside the building become suddenly louder, meaning that the door had opened. She turned to the corner of the garden wall expectantly, but it was Joshua of all people that rounded the corner.

"Rosette?" he asked skeptically. "What're you doing here?"

"I'm starting to wonder that myself." She muttered. She glanced over at her brother and sighed, throwing him the car keys. "Here, I'm just gonna walk home."

"Okay?"

"…Do me a favor, will you?"

"What?"

"Don't tell Chrono I'm here."

Joshua smiled warmly at his sister, thinking he knew exactly why she was sitting alone outside in the cold. "Don't worry," he said gently, "your secret's safe with me."

X

X

X

In the Life of a Rock Star

Chapter 17: Woot, its Valentine's!

Part 2: The Day

X

X

X

"_Chrono, mon fils!_" shouted an older woman's voice from over by the front gates, tearing the two away from each other. "_Qu'est-ce tu fait?"_ demanded the tall dark-blonde woman.

"_Maman!_" shouted Chrono, eyes wide in utter shock. "_Qu'est-ce tu fait ici?_"

Rosette kept looking back and forth between the two, wondering what in heaven's name was going on. She watched the older woman stomp right up to Chrono and grab his arm. She started spitting out what Rosette could only understand as gibberish. But this is what she pretty much made of the argument.

Lady: Chrono!

Chrono: You!

And that pretty much repeated several times. Ugh…What Rosette would give to have taken French instead of Spanish. _'Wait, French? That IS French! Why is there a French woman harassing Chrono?'_ "Hey—" started Rosette, turning to the woman. The woman whipped around and gave Rosette an icy glare, silencing her, before resuming her yelling at Chrono.

"Enough!" shouted Chrono after a minute. He stood up abruptly and glared at the woman. "Why did you come here?" he demanded. The woman stared at him in disgust.

"Why? What do you mean WHY? You asked me to come here!" she spat. "And just what do you think you're doing talking to me like this?"

"This isn't your stupid mansion back home! This is my school! And what are you doing at it?"

"I already told you tha—"

"I didn't tell you to come to school! Why didn't you wait at the apartment?"

"Because you weren't there and Mademoiselle Dillon said that this was where you were! She also said that you were here with Shader. So who's this…this…_putain_?"

Chrono glared at her. "Don't ever say that again." He whispered harshly.

"Um," asked Rosette meekly, "wh-what's going on?"

The woman sneered down at her. "Oh? You really must be a _putain_ if Chrono hasn't told you."

"What do you mean?" she asked hesitantly, noticing that the woman was holding Chrono back.

She laughed. "Chrono," she asked sweetly turning to the boy. "Why don't you introduce me to your little _putain_? And please, don't be like that." She said, still holding the boy back with one hand as he was just about ready to rip her apart, though Rosette couldn't figure out why. "Go on," urged the woman.

"Rosette," said Chrono quietly after a minute, refusing to look at the girl still sitting on the bench. "This…this is my mother… Pan du Monium."

Rosette gasped, quickly standing up. "It's an honor to meet you!" she squeaked, making an exaggerated bow. The woman chuckled and Rosette looked up at her.

"So like him…" she muttered.

"Excuse me?" asked Rosette, more confused than ever.

The woman shook her head and sneered at Rosette again. "So he hasn't told you yet, has he?"

"Told me what?" asked Rosette hesitantly.

The woman's smug smile grew and she finished proudly "that he's coming back home with me—far, far away." Rosette stopped, scared to know what the really meant. She looked over at Chrono, but he turned away, not meeting her eyes. "That's right," continued his mother, "in one week Chrono and I will be on a plane back to France. And that's where he's going to stay."

Rosette's eyes widened as she stared up at the beautiful woman. "Why?" she asked quietly.

"Because," she stated snootily. "He wrote to me and told me how unhappy he was and how he wanted to come home." Rosette's arms fell limply to her sides. She looked to Chrono for a better answer, but he shook his head without a word. The woman glanced back at her son irritably. "Tell her." She stated haughtily. "Why don't you let your little _putain_ hear it from you?" Chrono turned away more, teeth clenched shut; afraid that if he opened his mouth, his mom would just get angry with him. The woman sighed and glided over to him, wrapping her arms around him and catching him off guard. "My sweet, sweet Chrono," she cooed, coddling him. "It's been so long, how has my little boy been?"

"…I'm not little anymore," he said quietly.

"Of course you—" started the woman, taking a step back. Just then she realized how tall he was and gasped. "—aren't!" She giggled, forgetting all about the shocked Rosette standing behind her. "My little boy is all grown up, except…" she put a hand to her chin and began to circle Chrono, examining him from top to bottom. "This dreadful outfit, it's simply…dreadful! And what's this?" she reached out and grabbed his long braid. "You_ still_ have long hair? Darling, please!" she tsk-ed, "it was cute when you were little, but you've definitely outgrown it now. And what about this?" she asked, fiddling with the yellow ribbon that held his hair together. The woman gagged and began to tug at the golden tie, trying to take it out. "Your hair is bad enough as it is, but what's this piece of trash doing here?" Chrono turned around suddenly, pulling his braid out of his mother's grasp.

"Stop," he hissed, "stop trying to control my life!"

His mom took a startled step backwards before blowing out her cheeks and huffing "well, excuse ME for trying to make sure my only son is well dressed."

"No you're not!" shouted Chrono. "You're just trying to make me look like one of your stupid models!"

"Um," came Rosette's small voice through the awkward tension. "I think I'll just go home now."

"…!" Chrono turned to her, remembering what his mother had said. "You don't have to!" he cried desperately. "I mean—please… please stay?"

"Let her go," snorted his mom, turning away from the girl. "There's no need for you to hang around a _putain_ like her, anyway."

Chrono shot her an angry glare and then refocused on Rosette, who smiled at him sadly. "I don't even know what that means," she stated simply. "I just think that I should go…" her voice faded as she turned away from the boy and began to walk away to the front gates. After, a moment, Chrono snapped out of his little daze and dashed after her.

"Chrono!" called his mother, stopping him in his tracks. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'll see you back at the apartment!" he yelled, trying to catch up with Rosette.

"Such a rebel…" muttered the woman.

X

"Rosette!" called Chrono, chasing after her. Rosette turned around and stared at the boy as he bent over, trying to catch his breath. "P…please wait…" he panted. After a moment he looked up at Rosette to see her smiling brightly at him. "Aren't you mad?" he asked slowly, straightening back up. Rosette shook her head.

"Like I said, I have no idea what your mom kept calling me,"

"But aren't you upset that I…that I'm…" he trailed off, not really wanting to talk about his move. He didn't even want to go. Again, Rosette shook her head, still smiling. "But what about my mom saying that I was the one who—"

"So?" said Rosette, cutting him off. "You were just really upset when you wrote to her, weren't you?"

"Uh—! …yeah…But, I DID write to her again to tell her that everything was fine again. But when she gets an idea into her head, she's pretty damn stubborn about it."

Rosette giggled. "Like mother like son, I guess."

Chrono blinked at her. "Whaddya mean?"

Rosette turned on her heel, continuing her walk home. "Ohh…nothing. It's just that, once you bump into a random girl on the street, it's pretty hard for you to stop stalking her."

"Whaddya mean 'stalking'?" pouted Chrono, catching up with her again.

"After all the shit we've been through, I still find it hard to believe that you'd disobey your own mother just to chase after me." Chrono reached out and grabbed Rosette around the waist, pulling her close to him.

"After 'all the shit we're been through', _I_ can't believe that you're still having doubts about us." He smirked, leaning down close to her.

"I'm not," she whispered, clicking her teeth, "I just like teasing you." With that, she broke out of Chrono's grasp, starting down the sidewalk again.

"And you say I'M not nice?" he called after her.

"I never said that I was!"

Chrono huffed, crossing his arms. "Maybe I should just find a new girlfriend." he muttered. Rosette stopped, still a few yards in front of Chrono. He stared at her. "Did you hear that?" he called. Rosette didn't move, but Chrono could see her shaking a little. He ran up to her side and wrapped his arms around her again. "I didn't mean it." He whispered, leaning his chin on her shoulder.

"You sounded pretty serious to me." She choked, clearly holding back tears.

Chrono frowned. "What's wrong with you?" he asked quietly. "You seem bipolar lately."

Rosette sniffled. "I'm pms-ing, okay? So don't piss me off."

Chrono immediately let go of her and took a few quick steps backwards, slipping on the ice again and falling on his back. "Too much info! Too much info!" he cried, waving his arms wildly; seriously grossed out.

Rosette huffed. "Whaddya mean 'too much info'?" she cried, tears sparkling in her eyes. "You're sixteen—get over it! You're acting like a baby!"

"But that's just grooooosssssssss!" whined the boy. Rosette, at a lack for anything better, quickly took off one of her shoes and chucked it at him, hitting him square in the head. "OWE! Whaddya do that for?" he yelled.

"I told you not to piss me off!"

"You're the one that brought your stupid pms into this!"

"Why you—EEEK!"

"What? What is it?" shouted Chrono, suddenly very tense.

"COLD!" screamed Rosette hopping up and down; she had put her shoeless foot down in the snow. "Where's my shoe? Where's my shoe?" she cried pitifully. Chrono looked around, but somehow, the shoe had disappeared. "Where'd it—" before she could finish, Rosette's hopping caused her to slip and land painfully on the ice. "Oww!"

"Are you alright?"

"Of course I'm not!" She shrieked, throwing her hands down onto her skirt, making it puff up. "How am I supposed to walk home like this?"

Chrono sighed and smiled to himself, standing up and walking over to Rosette. "Isn't that why you have me?" he asked kindly. Before Rosette knew what was happening, Chrono had swept her into his arms and started to carry her off.

"Wh-what're you doing?" she squeaked, completely flustered and clinging to Chrono like a small child.

"Do you want to walk?" he asked sarcastically. Rosette turned away, so embarrassed that even her ears where red.

X

"Home sweet, warm home!" cried Rosette once they had arrived at her house. She pulled out her keys and unlocked the door, leaping out of Chrono's arms and onto the dry carpet. She danced over to the couch and flopped down on it, breathing in the sharp sent of Febreeze that Satella sprayed the rooms with. "Close the door!" called Rosette when a cold wind flew into the room. Chrono looked hesitantly at the door, Rosette rolled her eyes. "You can come in," she cooed, slightly amused by the boy. Chrono finally shut the door and came over to where Rosette lay on the couch.

"So…Now what?" he asked after a moment.

"Darn it!" shouted Rosette, sitting up suddenly.

"What is it?" cried the boy frantically.

"I didn't get my dance!"

Chrono blinked at her. "Huh?"

"I wanted to dance with you at the school!"

"But…I can't dance."

"Then why were you at the dance?"

"…Wait, why were YOU at the dance?"

"Uhh…" Rosette turned away, not wanting to repeat all the mushy stuff that she had thought about so long ago. "What does it matter? It's just some stupid dance!" she sighed, flopping back down.

'_But you're the one who brought it up.'_

"Hey," she said randomly, "are you French?"

Chrono stared at her. "Why?" he asked slowly.

"Because, isn't your mom French? I was just kinda wondering."

"She's is, but I'm not…sorta."

"Sorta?"

"My mom's French and my dad's Japanese."

Rosette stared at him, an awkward smile on her face. "That makes _perfect_ sense." She muttered.

Chrono laughed a little, sitting down next to her. "I guess their relationship made as much sense to them as it does to you, 'cuz they got divorced when I was little."

"I take it you lived with your mom?"

"Nope, both. It was kinda hard, actually. They'd trade me off every other year, so one year I'd live with mom who's a fashion designer and an ex-musician in France, and the next I'd go to my dad's in Japan where he's away at his white-collar executive job all day."

"So…how'd you end up here?"

Chrono looked away, smiling nervously. "I…sorta…ran away."

Rosette stifled a laugh, sitting up. "How'd you do that?" she asked, grinning.

"Well," began Chrono mischievously. "It's very easy to get on the wrong plane…with your cousin…and your friends…and her friends…"

"And your manager?"

"Now you're getting it."

Rosette laughed and said "it sounds more like they kidnapped you."

"Yeah well…Shader can get like that sometimes."

Rosette stopped and looked up at the boy in disbelief. "Shader's you're cousin?"

Chrono blinked at her. "Well…yeah, who'd you think I was talking about?"

"I…I'm not sure…" They stared at each other a moment and then laughed. Just then, the front door opened and in stepped Joshua. Rosette turned to him, about to say hello but stopped and gawked. "You…" she growled slowly. "You brought HER home?" she screamed, frightening little Azzy.

"It's not what you think!" cried Joshua, raising up his arms to shield his head from any oncoming objects. "We're just friends—I swear!"

"Prove it!" yelled Rosette, just about to jump up and kill her brother.

"Don't worry Rosette, we really are just friends!" squeaked Azzy, waving her hands frantically.

"Who are you to accuse US of anything?" cried Joshua suddenly pointing his finger at his sister. "Just what have YOU TWO been up to? Here—all alone—in the dark?"

"The lights have been on, you idiot." snapped Rosette. "And you have no right to imply anything!"

"Neither do you!"

"Ah…sibling rivalry," cooed Azzy, smiling, though not knowing why.

X

"I'm home!" called Chrono later that night.

"Chrono!" squealed Shader, running up to him. "Do you know what time it is?"

"Uhh…sorry, I kinda lost track of time."

Shader smiled brightly, cheeks all rosy. "Oh, I'M not mad, but do you know who is?"

"CHRONO!" came the angry voice of his mother. She stormed down the stairs and right up into his face. "Do you know what time it is?" she demanded.

Chrono groaned. "I've already been through this…"

The woman blew out her cheeks and leaned back. "Watch your tone, young man!" she pouted. Chrono looked away, making her even angrier. "Just where have you been, anyway?"

"I'm going to bed…" he muttered before walking away.

"Don't walk away when I'm talking to you!" she screamed after him.

"Maybe," began Shader quietly, "if you weren't so hard on him, he'd be more inclined to listen."

The woman turned away, fuming right into the kitchen. "You have absolutely no idea how hard it is to have children!"

"…And you have absolutely no idea how to treat children…" whispered Shader sadly.

X

Chrono flopped down in his chair in front of his computer and groaned. "Never," he began, totally frustrated his mom, "will I EVER be so upset that I call for her again…" He sighed and glanced over at his calendar and after a moment of shock, snatched it right off the wall. He glued his eyes to that one date, Monday, February 14. _'AAH! I only have two days?-! Where'd the time go…?'_ That's when he realized that only a few hours ago he was at the dance. He slapped his forehead and muttered "doh!" Chrono set the calendar down on his desk. As he stood up and went over to his bed, pulling his shirt off, he remembered that Valentine's meant that he should get something for Rosette. But that also reminded him that he only had seven days left with her. As he tugged at the yellow ribbon that bound his hair, letting his violet tresses spill over his shoulders, he let out a heavy sigh, falling face first onto his pillows. _'There has to be a way to change Mom's mind…'_ he thought sadly. _'That woman if just so stubborn! And if…if I can never see Rosette again…'_ Before he could let himself finish the thought, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, the neon numbers 1:10 flashing on his alarm clock.

X

"Tee hee!" squealed Anna on Monday, twirling in a flowy skirt in front of Rosette. "I looooooovvvvveeeee today!" she cooed.

"Why?" asked her blonde friend dully.

Anna huffed, stopping her little dance. "Hello! Do you not know what day it is?"

"Monday?"

Anna groaned, dragging her hand down her face. "Nooooooo…! It's Valentine's!"

"Do you even have a boyfriend?"

"No. But that just makes it all the easier for me to shower Chrono with gifts!" Rosette groaned, yet still blushed at the thought of Chrono, especially at what he might say about _her_ gift. "Hey," said Anna, drawing Rosette's attention back to her. "Do you have a present for your boyfriend?"

"…! Y-you know I h-have a boyf-friend?" stuttered the girl.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Well, duh! You told me! So, does he go to our school?" Rosette turned bright red but gave a small nod nevertheless. "Oh ho…?" cooed Anna, suddenly very interested in her friend's life. "What's his name?"

Ding Dong Ding Dong! (Get to class you lovey dovey sweetheart honey sugar…I'm making myself sick…)

"Rats," muttered Anna as Rosette dashed off into the school, blushing furiously.

X

"You know what I hate?" asked Joshua at lunch, poking at the Valentine's cookie on his tray. "I hate these stupid chalk-candy hearts that the lunch ladies glue to these perfectly good cookies. That's, like, a crime against nature, or something." He looked up from his lunch to see that Rosette had long since walked away, not caring what her brother was talking about. "Fine!" called Joshua into the cafeteria at no one in particular. "Be that way! See if I care! I have to go deliver a present to my girlfriend anyway!"

X

A little ways down the hall, Anna, Mary, and Claire had spotted Rosette heading outside into the courtyard, blushing quite brightly and holding a small package behind her back.

"She must be going to see her boyfriend!" whispered Anna excitedly.

"Let's spy on 'er!" squeaked Mary.

Claire nodded in agreement, and the three quietly slunk down along the wall and peeked through the window, listening to Rosette outside through the barely opened door. They gasped when they saw that it was the Sinners that sat out there eating lunch, not even fazed when Rosette walked up to them.

"Rosette," said Chrono, surprised by her appearance, cheeks flushed a light rose.

"Um," squeaked Rosette, turning away, her grip on the small package tightening. "I just, uhh…" her face turned even darker as she jammed her eyes shut and thrust the small gift towards the boy. "Happy Valentine's Day!" she squeaked.

Chrono stared at the box a moment before tenderly lifting it into his hands with a warm smile. "Thank you,"

"Um—" squeaked Rosette again, watching as Chrono opened the box to find the heart shaped candies. "I'm not sure if they're any good, I can't cook very well…"

"They're homemade?" Rosette nodded, still not looking at him. Chrono popped one of the chocolates into his mouth. "It's delicious!" he cheered, smiling brightly at her.

"Really?" chirped Rosette, finally looking up at him.

"Yeah! And…" he reached into his pocket, pulling out a tiny velvet box. "This is for you." He handed the case to Rosette, who carefully pulled off the ribbon and lifted the top to find a red stone heart with brass and silver wire wrapped around it.

She gasped, totally loving it. "Tha—" she stopped. "How much did you spend on this?" she asked skeptically.

"Don't worry," he laughed, "I made it in ceramics class." Rosette squealed, giving him a big hug.

"HEY!" screamed three voices. The group turned to see Mary, Anna, and Claire stomping into the courtyard. "What're you doing, Rosette?" demanded Anna furiously.

"Uhh…"

"Yeah," shouted Mary, "I thought you hated him? So what the heck is going on?"

"Err…"

"How could you?" cried Claire, tears sparkling in her eyes. "Why wouldn't you tell us about something like this?"

"Well…"

"Ladies," cooed Chrono coolly, motioning them to sit down. They did so, still total fan girls. "I know this may seem odd, but, would you keep our secret?"

"Why should we?" pouted Anna, also on the brink of crying her heart out.

"Because," he started, giving each of them a kiss on the cheek, "I'm asking you nicely."

"Okay…" they cooed dreamily, melting.

"I'll talk to you cuties later, 'kay?"

"Okay…" with that, the girls skipped back into the school, back to their usual bouncy-fan girl selves.

"Well handled!" chirped Shader once the girls had gone. She gave a Chrono two thumbs up, smiling brightly. "I also have to give someone a present," she said warmly, beaming down at the fairly large box that was sitting on her lap.

"Who's it for? The king of nerds? After all, you are the queen." said Genai, smirking evilly. Shader's smile faded and she stopped swinging her legs back and forth.

"I can give it to him later…" she said quietly.

Ding Dong Ding Dong! (get to class! Also, get me some Pepto-Bismol!)

X

As Rosette hopped down the steps of the school that afternoon, she saw Ed, ducking behind trees and bushes, hiding from something again. "What're you doing?" asked Rosette, coming up to him. Ed whipped around and made the motions of a silent heart-attack, clearly freaked out that she had seen him.

"I'm trying to avoid someone," he said after he'd calmed down.

"Who?"

"Yo, Chibi!" shouted a gritty voice approaching the two. "Where's my V-day present?" demanded the boy, pointy dark green hair bouncing as he walked.

"Why should I give anything to you?" spat Ed at the boy as he grabbed his collar.

"'Cuz!" shouted the boy, letting go of Ed. "We're the Sinners!" he declared, thrusting his thumb to his chest.

'_Umm…wannabe fans, much?'_ thought Rosette, trying her best not to laugh at the odd group. This gang, or whatever they were, consisted of five people, all of which were wearing black leather clothing. There was the green haired boy with the palm tree-like hair, a fat kid, a boy with spiked hair and sunglasses, a very sweet looking girl, and a very, err… 'well developed' girl.

"So you're 'Sinners', eh? Big deal—so is Chrono." said Ed, just to annoy the boy.

The green hair teen scowled. "We're not posers!" he yelled defensively, apparently everyone compared them to the real Sinners. "And don't even try to mess with us! We have a teacher in our gang!"

"And a grade-schooler." stated Ed.

The boy's expression turned even darker. "That little brat ain't here right now, so I can beat you into tomorrow and—" Ed smirked, pointing behind the boy to where a small voice called out "Kaasan! Okaasan!" and in through the front gates came a small boy with long black hair, also dressed in black leather. The palm tree boy tsk-ed and let Ed go. "Stupid brat," he muttered, watching the new boy cling to the sweet looking girl. "I'll get you next time," he grumbled at Ed before turning to leave, his gang following him.

Once they were gone, Chrono came running up to Rosette. "What's up?" he asked, smiling brightly.

Rosette turned to him and grinned mischievously. "YOU just missed the Sinners." She taunted sarcastically.

Chrono cocked his head at her. "Huh?" he asked, utterly confused while Rosette laughed at him.

X

X

X

Chrono: Wow…that was weird to say the least.

Fiore: And horribly late to say the most.

Chrono: Hey, when we said that project was 'due tomorrow', we meant 'LIKE tomorrow'.

Fiore: In other words, a week.

Chrono: Right. So there's a real explanation.

Fiore: Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight… So why don't you 'explain' why we're the only ones here.

Chrono: Simple. The others are dead.

Fiore: So what? Are you going to kill me now too?

Chrono: (shrugs) I guess so. (charges for Fiore, but slips on bloody floor, accidentally throws metal baseball bat into air which promptly falls back down and bashes his head in).

Fiore: (stares) Well…He's dead.

(P.S.: What I, Fiore, as the sole survivor of the characters, need to post the next chapter anytime soon is songs. Yeah…remember that fan-song contest a few chapters back? Well, YOU'RE the fans (or at least readers, anyway) and I want to know what songs are your favorite! All I need is the song title, the artist (if possible), and the show/anime/album/whatever it's from. If you have a particular character you'd like to sing it, then say so. Please, please, please ONEGAI!-!-! Please give me a few song ideas! I'll give credit to you (or not if you don't want a spotlight)! And if I don't get any song requests, then ya'll be stuck with Japanese-CLAMP-happy-peppy-bouncy songs that Joshua sings! You can suggest as many songs as ya' like and you can send 'em in any time. Ones I don't use for the fan-song contest, I'll probably use in later chapters anyway. So please—contribute :) !)


	19. Chapter 18 Part 1

Fiore: So many words—So little time—haven't…been talking to friends. (jumps at nothing) Aah—! …(fiddles fingers) chapter so long… writing so much…had to… split it…into… two parts—AAH! (jumps again)

Aion: Okay, someone needs to get out of here and live a little. (opens a curtain)

Fiore: (HISS!) The light—It burns!

Rizelle: Seriously, if you need to split a chapter in half just to post, you need to take a break.

Fiore: Can't take a break! No, no, no! Fiore needs to write. Yes, my preciouses… wriiiittteeee. (laughs hysterically)

Aion: Ooookaaaay… You're comin' with us! (grabs Fiore)

Fiore: Noooooo!

Rizelle: So yeah… This is part one of chapter 18, part two will (hopefully) be up soon.

Fiore: No—stop! My preciouses! The hobbitses want to keep me from writing…!

Aion: (stares) Soon? I think this might take a little longer than 'soon'.

Shader: Than I shall write the story!

Genai: Oh goody, girly-girl fluff-fest time.

Shader: (bashes Genai's head in) You were saying?

X

X

X

In the Life of a Rock Star

Chapter 18 (part 1): …(shrugs)…

X

X

X

Shader sighed, staring up at her dark ceiling. She laid on her bed, listening to the others laugh at what was probably the blundering of Chrono and his mom downstairs. She sighed again and rolled over, now lying on her stomach, breathing in the scent of freshly washed-out detergent. She glanced up at her nightstand to where the box she had been carrying sat.

"_Who's it for? The king of nerds? After all, you are the queen."_

"_I can give it to him later…"_

'_Give it to him later?' _ she thought irritably. _'When later? It's practically eight o'clock now! Valentine's won't last for much longer!'_ Shader sat up and took the small box into her hands, placing it on her lap. She took the lid off and stared down at the black cowboy hat. She knew that he'd love it…Well, maybe if he didn't know it was from her, but she was sure that he'd love it nonetheless.

She heard Genai shout something crude downstairs and then get slapped by most likely Rizelle. Shader smiled to herself; they were waiting for her to come down before they ate and a lack of food always makes Genai cranky.

Shader replaced the lid onto the box, hopped off her bed, and tucked it away in her closet. As she went to close the door to her room before she headed downstairs, she took a quick glance at her closet door to make sure it was closed; it was. _'Maybe next year…'_ she thought with a sad smile.

"Shader! Get your butt down here so we can eat!"

"_SLAP!_ Genai!"

"Owe! Whaddya do that for?"

Shader smiled and bounded down the steps. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" she chanted.

X

"_Kanashii hodo hikari dashita_

_shiroi yami kirisaku tsubasa ni nare…"_

"What'cha singing?" asked Rosette the next day at lunch. She was watching Chrono out in the courtyard as he sat on a table practicing.

"I'm actually not sure." He stated dumbly.

"How can you not know?"

"'Cuz," giggled Shader, wagging her finger. "A fan sent it to us."

"Why?"

Shader blinked at the other girl. "…whaddya mean 'why'?"

"I mean, why are you guys singing a fan song?"

Shader groaned and slapped her forehead comically. "Ooh, Rosy-Posy!" she sighed. "Didn't you know? We had a fan song contest a while back!"

"…" Rosette stared at her for a moment. "And you're just NOW getting to it?"

"Yep!" Rosette groaned, practically falling over. "Oh, don't act like that!" pouted Shader. "We got a ton of submissions and we only got to choose one each!"

"So that's only six songs out of hundreds." stated Aion.

"Yeah, I got that." snapped Rosette. "So," she began, turning back to Chrono. "What's that one?"

"I already told you, I don't know."

Rosette groaned again, falling over for real.

"It's called 'Byakuya'." said Shader tiredly.

"It is?" asked Chrono.

"Yes…"

"White night?"

"That's just maybe a little oxymoron."

"You're an oxymoron." huffed Genai.

X

"I have a surprise for you all today," chimed Mr. Remington in English class. "The student council has gotten together and decided that they're going to open a small café across the street to help with fundraisers. And they want to know if you all think it's a good idea." The class cheered, showing their support of the idea. But you must know that if Mr. Remington told them to jump off a bridge, they'd do it in a heartbeat. "That's wonderful, I knew you'd love it!" cheered the teacher. "Oh—that's right! The student council also says that local bands will be asked to play. So for all of you up-and-coming musicians—this might be your big break!" he said with a bright smile.

"YES!" cheered one of the boys, jumping up. "Our time is here!" he began to laugh maniacally.

'_Whoa…'_ thought Rosette, stunned to see the boy. _'Since when has that palm tree haired boy been in my English class?'_

X

"Whee!" cheered Joshua after school. "Did you hear about the café? Did you, did you, did you?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" shouted Rosette, already tired out by her brother. "Why are you so excited, anyway? It's just a stupid café."

"Stupid?" demanded Joshua, taking a few steps back. "I could totally get a job there!"

"It's for fundraisers—you wouldn't get paid."

"That's what tips are for!"

"Ugh…"

"Hey, cutie!" chirped a voice from behind Rosette, wrapping their arms around her.

"Aiee!" screamed the frightened girl. "Who—what—when—where!" she sputtered frantically.

The person laughed and released his hold on her. "You're way too easy to freak out, you know that?"

"You…gave me…a…heart attack…! What the hell, Ed?-!" yelled Rosette.

"Won't your girlfriend get mad at you if you keep flirty like that?" asked Joshua.

"Nah," snorted Ed. "Winry's totally cool with it."

BASH!

Ed fell to the ground, a large lump on his head, and a wrench smoldering by his twitching form.

"Totally cool with it…?" asked the blonde girl, coming up to the boy and perching her foot on his head. "You have NO idea…" she grumbled, grinding her heel painfully into his skull. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not, but Ed was already unconscious and couldn't feel any of it.

Rosette stared at the two, still slightly freaked out by the boy's sudden appearance. Joshua was pointing and laughing uncontrollably. "Hey," said Rosette all of a sudden, "isn't Fiore mad at you for all the time you've been spending with Azzy?"

Joshua stopped laughing and turned away. He cleared his throat. "Nope," he said uncertainly. "Neesan knows what my relationship with Imotochan is, and she's fine with it."

"…Neesan…? Imotochan? What're you talking about?" asked Rosette totally confused.

"What about sisters?" asked Chrono coming up to the dysfunctional group.

"Finally!" cried Joshua happily. "Someone understands me!"

"Well, sure…I speak Japanese. Why wouldn't I know what you're saying?"

Rosette turned back to her brother and smacked him over the head. "Are you saying that all those times you shouted incoherent things at me that they were in another language?"

"Yes,"

Rosette grabbed his shirt collar, drawing his face inches from hers. "I wanna know EXACTLY what you said." She said menacingly. "'Cuz if it was something bad—"

"Are you coming tonight?" choked the boy all of a sudden. Rosette blinked at him.

"Huh?"

"To the play—you missed it the last two nights and this is the last performance. I just wanna know if you're coming."

"Huh?" asked Rosette again, still dumbfounded and choking him.

"He's referring to Romeo and Juliet." came a voice from behind them. Rosette turned around, finally dropping Joshua.

"Fiore?" she asked stupidly. "I haven't seen you in like, forever."

The girl smiled at her and took a small bow. "I've been practicing—a lot." She glanced over at Joshua, and Rosette could've sworn that her expression became quite sullen for a second.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Fiore gave a small start and turned back to Rosette. "N-no, I was just thinking about something! I'm alright, really." She chirped with a fake smile.

"Hey, everyone!" came a tiny voice, running out of the school. "Sorry I'm late—one of my students needed to talk to me." She panted, bending over out of breath. It was Azzy.

"Its fine!" cheered Joshua, waving a hand at the girl. He seemed to have regained his bubbly nature at the sight of Azzy. "Besides, how can we stay mad at such a cutie like you?"

"!" the girl turned bright red and looked away. "Oh n-no! I'm not cute at all!" she squeaked. Then, a sly grin spread across her lips. "'Cuz…I'm a mean teacher that can give you loads of homework!" she growled, raising her arms up like a monster. "Grr!" she jumped over to Joshua who dropped his books and ran away with a broad grin tugging at his cheeks.

"Help, help!" he cried. "A monster's trying to eat me!" he laughed.

"Fe-fi-fo-fum! Something-something—GRR!" chanted Azzy comically, chasing the boy around the schoolyard like they were both still in first grade.

Rosette stared at the two, not sure what to think. Chrono couldn't stop laughing; he was just about ready to collapse and roll around on the ground. Rosette looked over at Fiore to see that she was smiling sadly at Joshua and Azmaria. Then, without a word, she turned and began to walk towards the front gates.

"Hey!" called Rosette after her. She ran up behind the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Where're you going?"

Fiore stopped but didn't turn to face Rosette. "I have to get home, that's all…" she whispered quietly. She brushed Rosette's hand away and left. Rosette stared after her, wondering what on earth had gotten into her.

"Look out—Roseeetttteeeee!" cried Azzy's little voice, bringing Rosette back to reality. Before she knew it, Rosette was rammed by Joshua and fell painfully to the ground. "Are you two alright!" squeaked the small girl running up to them.

"Jo…shu…Aaaaaa…!" screamed Rosette trying to push brother away.

"What's wrong with pancakes, Mr. Smarty-Pants…?" mumbled Joshua with swirly eyes, completely knocked out of his senses.

"Oi…" mumbled Rosette, flopping backwards onto the ground, giving up on trying to move her brother.

"Rosette!" called Chrono, finally coming over to the crash site. He wrapped his arms around Joshua and tried to lift him off Rosette. His knees buckled and just as Rosette began to sit back up, Chrono accidentally dropped the boy back on her.

"Oof!" spat Rosette as her head smacked back against the ground harshly. "You're… not… helping…" she grumbled, lungs too crushed by her unconscious brother to yell at Chrono.

"Maybe you should tell him to go on a diet or something!" panted Chrono, now sitting on the ground completely exhausted. "He weighs a ton!"

"Maybe YOU should start working out!" mumbled Rosette angrily. "You're as thin as paper!"

"Oh no, oh no, oh no!" panicked Azzy, glancing back and forth. That's when she spotted two girls coming out of the school. "Ooh! Miss Brunel! Miss Combatir!" she called to them. "Could you come over here for a moment?" The two girls walked over to the teacher, both were quite short and appeared to have little to no physical strength. "Could you help us out?" asked Azzy, motioning towards Rosette, Joshua, and Chrono.

"Sure!" chirped the slightly taller blonde girl. But just as she began to walk over to the trio, she tripped—on nothing. She just fell flat on her face like a complete klutz. "Owie…" she moaned, sitting up a little.

The pink haired girl that had been called over with the blonde one rolled her eyes and muttered "air head" before stepping over her friend to get to Rosette, who was just about to pass out from a lack of oxygen. She grabbed the back of Joshua's shirt and lifted him clear over her head. Now, you must know that Joshua is about three times the small girl's size so needless to say, everyone was gawking at her. The girl tilted her hands back to let Joshua fall to the ground behind her. She then clapped her hands off of any dust or dirt. She glanced back at the blonde girl and tsk-ed. "Come on, Colette," she ordered, "Miss Raine is expecting us."

"R-right!" squeaked the other girl, getting back to her feet wobbly. "I'm right behind you Presea!" Once she had regained her balance, she dashed after the pink haired girl and out the front gates.

Chrono stared after them, still gawking. "How do you know them, Azmaria?" he asked vacantly.

The teacher giggled. "They're in my electronics and technologies class."

"You mean like video games?"

"Uhh…sort of?"

Chrono nodded and looked over at Rosette; he gasped. She was still lying on the ground, face blue. "Rosette!" he cried in a panic. He leaned down close to her and nearly jumped out of his skin when her eyes shot open and she began to ground her fists into his skull painfully.

"Useless!" she screamed. "That's what you are!"

"OWOWOWOWOW!" he yelped, squirming in her grip. "Quit it! I tried my best!"

"And it wasn't good enough!"

"Gomen nasai!" he cried. Rosette instantly let go of him.

"Huh?" she asked stupidly.

'_Saved by a foreign language…yay!'_ thought Chrono wearily.

"Aah!" screamed a voice from behind the two. Rosette whipped around when she recognized the voice as Joshua's. "Aah!" he cried again. "Pancakes!" Rosette stared and him. He was asleep and dreaming, or maybe having a nightmare, she wasn't sure which.

X

"I'm home…" called Chrono tiredly as he stepped through his front door an hour later. Carrying an unconscious Joshua home was an extremely difficult task, especially since no matter what they did, he stayed asleep and kept screaming about pancakes. Nobody knew why though. Chrono looked around; no one, not even Shader or his mom, had come to greet him. He sighed and figured it was better this way. He draped his coat over the back of one the kitchen chairs and went upstairs. Right as he was about to open the door to his room, he stopped and looked over at Shader's room where he could hear her singing a song he'd never heard before.

'_Cause everytime we touch, I feel the static. _

_And everytime we kiss, I reach for the sky. _

"Shader?" asked Chrono coming into her room without knocking.

"ACK!" she screamed, jumping up several feet, totally freaked out by the boy's sudden appearance. She had been dancing in front of her mirror, holding a brush like a microphone, completely tuning out the rest of the world as she sang. "Wh-wh-wh-what—" she stuttered, eyes bugged out and staring at Chrono. She swallowed hard before straightening herself out and pointing viciously at Chrono. "HOW DARE YOU!" she screeched. "What if I had been changing? You're a pervert, Chrono! A filthy, lecherous, disgusting pervert!" she screamed at him.

"Hey," said Genai poking his head into the room. "Is someone talking about me?"

"NO! Now get out!" shrieked the girl. Genai shrugged and left.

Chrono just stared at Shader, unfazed by her cruel words. "You think I'm a pervert just because I didn't knock?" he asked dully.

"YES!"

Chrono sighed and shook his head. "You know, ever since we were little, the only double tasking you could do will singing was dancing. So I figured that you weren't doing anything terribly playboy."

"…" Shader glared at him and then whipped around to face her mirror once more. "Damn you and your good memory." She pouted.

Chrono rolled his eyes and left her room, closing the door behind him. After barely a moment, he could hear Shader beginning her bouncy song again. He finally got into his own room, and the second he closed the door, his phone rang. "Hello?"

"_I will kill everyone you know and love…!"_ said a spooky voice.

"Hello, Rosette." said Chrono, trying not to laugh.

"_Darn it! How do you always know it's me?"_

"Because I can recognize your cute voice anywhere!" he chirped teasingly.

"_Ooh…you're mean…!"_

"Whaddya want?"

"_Oh—um…I was wondering if you wanted to go to the play with me tonight."_

"What play?"

"…_Romeo and Juliet?"_

"…" Chrono stayed silent for a moment, considering the offer.

"_I mean—you don't HAVE to go if you don't wanna! It's not like I'm forcing you or anything!"_ squeaked the girl on the other end.

"…" (still thinking)

"…_Darn it! He hung up!"_ pouted Rosette, now talking to herself. _"Way to go Rosette! Ask your boyfriend out, oh yeah—really good idea! Like he'd even WANT to go to a chick-flick play! Argh! This has got to be THE stupidest idea I've ever—"_

"Um, Rosette?"

"_AIEE! You're still there?"_

"Uh, yeah…?"

"_Y-you didn't h-hear wh-what I was j-just saying, did you?"_

Chrono smiled to himself. "No, I had to put the phone down for a moment." He lied. He heard Rosette sigh heavily on the other end. "So, what time's the play?"

X

"I dreamt a dream tonight." Said Joshua, backing away from Al. Rosette watched her brother intently, marveling at his acting on stage.

"And so did I," replied Al, moving towards Joshua.

"Well, what was yours?"

"That dreamers often lie."

Rosette, after not too long, had decided that it had been a very good choice on her behalf to ask Chrono to come with her. Because all throughout the play, she would turn to him, and without her even asking first, he would explain what was going on. She was very glad that he understood old English better than she did and was willing to translate for her.

Rosette was also smart enough with the limited knowledge of Shakespeare that she had to have figured out by now that Joshua was Romeo and Alphonse was Mercutio. She was still a little fuzzy on the whole Juliet part, but she was just waiting for the big love scene to figure it out.

----------------

"But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?" called Joshua a little while later. Rosette leaned forwards in her seat, knowing that this was their big moment. "It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!"

"Ay, me!" sighed a voice from behind the curtain of the balcony. Rosette was practically bouncing up and down, dying to know who was playing Juliet. She knew the voice sounded familiar, but she just couldn't quite put her thumb on it.

"She speaks." cooed Joshua dreamily. "O, speak again, bright angel."

"O Romeo," started the girl, finally emerging on the balcony. "Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" It was Fiore. Whoa, Rosette was taken aback completely. Fiore? That was the last person she had expected! "Deny thy father and refuse thy name; Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet."

----------------

Now, Rosette isn't the smartest person in the world. Heck, she's probably the farthest thing from smart. And she's slow. So naturally, in all her sixteen years of existence, she had never once known how the classic tragedy of Romeo and Juliet ended. By the time Romeo was by Juliet's side and about to drink the poison, Rosette was crying her eyes out.

"Here's to my love!" cried Joshua as he chugged the goblet of poison, tears of grave despair evident on every syllable he spoke. Man…he's a REALLY good actor… "O true apothecary!" he chocked, dropping the cup and grasping his chest. "Thy drugs are quick." He gasped with the perfect sense of lacking air. "Thus…with a kiss…I die…" he whispered, falling upon Fiore.

Rosette sat trembling in the cramped theatre chair, her entire form shaking. She felt oddly cold and small all of a sudden. She was scared by her brother's amazing acting, so much that if only for a second, she forgot that it was just that; acting. She stared up at what could be her dead brother who lay motionless on stage, and there had been nothing she could have done to prevent it due to her distance from him in her seat.

Rosette gave a small start when someone touched her shoulder lightly. "Rosette?" it was Chrono, and he looked quite concerned. She shook her head and smiled at him, wiping away tears and coming back to reality. "I'm fine," she whispered turning back to the play; her wandering thoughts had caused her to miss most of the monologue-ing; Fiore had regained consciousness and was in the final throws of her big scene.

"O happy dagger!" she cried, snatching a small knife from Joshua's belt. "This is thy sheath;" she held the dagger close to her self. "There rust, and let me die…" she whispered, stabbing herself and then falling onto Joshua.

No matter what she did, Rosette just couldn't stop crying.

X

"Ooh—Joshua! You were soo good!" cheered Anna backstage after the play. She gave him a great big hug, squeezing the living daylights out of him.

"Ack!" he chocked. "Anna—have you been here all three nights?"

The girl nodded vigorously, hopping up and down. "This is my favorite play ever! And you're such a great actor! How could I NOT be here for every performance?"

"W-well…" he laughed nervously.

"Joshua!" called Rosette, running up to him.

"You made it!" he cheered with a bright smile. "I can't believe you actually ma—" he was cut off mid sentence by Rosette who hugged him tightly, still sobbing. "Oh ho," he grinned mischievously. "My performance moved you to tears, did it?" he asked proudly, ego swelling.

Rosette ballad her fist, about to smack him good, but she decided to let it slide this time. She hugged him tighter and whispered. "Good job, Joshua."

X

"I'm…home…" called Chrono around eleven thirty that night, finally getting home from the play. He took a moment to yawn before kicking off his shoes and heading upstairs. But alas, he could do no such thing without waging a little war first.

"CHRONO!" screamed his mother, storming up to him. "Do-you-know-what-time-it-is?" she growled. He yawned again and turned away from her. She scowled. "You were out with your little _whore_ again, weren't you?"

This time, it was Chrono's turn to scowl as he glared at his mother. "I told you to _never_ call her that again. And FYI; I was at a school play—the note's on the kitchen table." With that, he pushed passed her and headed up to his room.

"Fine," yelled the woman after him. "Be rebellious! Spend time with that leech! Enjoy it while you can, because in four days, you'll be living according to MY rules again!"

Chrono stopped at the top of the stairs, just staring at the floor for a moment. _'Four days…? That's all I have left?'_ He shook his head roughly and shouted back at his mom "you can't make me go with you! I won't leave!" He then ran into his room, slamming the door behind him.

X

As soon as he came into his room, Chrono spotted an open suitcase on his desk where his mom had already started packing his things. In his fit of anger, he stomped over to the baggage and toppled it to the floor. "I won't go!" he yelled. Feeling the urge to destroy something else, he reached for his backpack and chucked it against the wall with a very loud _THUD!_ Seeing as the bag had held two textbooks and had left an indent in the wall, Chrono's need to demolish was satisfied and he flopped down face first onto his bed and into his pillows. "I won't…" he chocked out quietly, holding back tears.

X

X

X

Aion: How goes the chapter?

Shader: Slowly.

Rizelle: Any chance of getting it posted before next week?

Shader: (shrugs)

Fiore: Keeps me away from my preciouses will you? AAH! (bashes everyone's head in with baseball bat) My presiousssssss…

Unknown:_ Uhhhh…Open the doorrrr, dammit!_

Fiore: (jumps) Aah! Wh-who's there, my preciouses? Ooh…? It's YOU! You've come to get me, have you? Well I'ms not goings without a fight! (holds baseball bat at a ready stance) Come and get mes.

**The exciting fight between Fiore and the Unknown voice continues in the next episode of Dragon Ball GT—I mean Itloars!**


	20. Chapter 18 Part 2

Fiore: Well I'ms not goings without a fight! (holds baseball bat at a ready stance) Come and get mes.

**And now the continuation…**

Fiore: Where are yous? (follows the sound of chains rattling to the closet. Carefully sticks out hand and hesitantly swings open the closet door).

Me: Aiee! (falls out of closet dragging along chains, boxes, and other random crap). Cough! Cough! FINALLY! What took you so long?

Fiore: (stares) Huh? I thought you were dead? And that Chrono threw you in a ditch.

Me: _Pfftht!_ Do honestly think that Chrono would actually do that? He's too lazy!

Fiore: Uh HUH…

Me: By the way…Where IS Chrono? And everybody else for that matter?

Fiore: Uhh…

X

X

X

In the Life of a Rock Star  
Chapter 18 (part 2): …(shrugs again)…

(Quick Note: winner's names are at the end so as not to spoil the who/what they are).

(Another Note: The opinions expressed by the characters in the story about the fan songs I used do not reflected my own opinions. I was just trying to keeping the characters in, well, character. I've actually grown quite fond to the songs I chose, and if I portrayed some of them incorrectly…oopsie. I only had the lyrics and a midi to go by on a couple of them so, sorry 'bout that!)

X

X

X

"I can't believe it!" shouted Rosette the next day as she sat with Chrono outside. "Joshua—he signed me up to be a waitress at that stupid café the student council is working on!" Rosette let out a long scream, flopped backwards, and then sighed. "Hey," she said after a moment, looking over at Chrono. "Maybe you could sign up to be a waiter, too. Then we…we could work together—even have matching outfits." She said blushing and twiddling her thumbs. "It'd be…fun." She waited a moment and then sat up straight and squeaked "o-okay, so that was a pretty dumb idea! I know—you're a boy and would probably hate working at a café, especially with a ditz like me, an—"

Chrono chuckled at her a little, seizing her rant. "I'd like to," he said quietly, "and I think it WOULD be fun, but…" he looked away from her sadly. "But you remember that I'm leaving on Saturday, right?" Rosette also looked away, her smile fading.

"Yeah…" she whispered.

"And there's…there's really nothing I can do about it."

"Yeah…"

"I mean—if there were, I wouldn't hesitate to do it! I don't even want to go, an—"

"Chrono?" asked Rosette suddenly, finally getting the boy to look at her.

"Y-yes?"

"Just shut up, okay?" she asked quietly.

Chrono turned away again. "Okay…"

Neither of them spoke for several minutes. Chrono thought that anything he said would only make him feel even worse about leaving. And Rosette thought that if she opened her mouth, she'd just end up sobbing her heart out. So that's how they stayed, silent, right until the bell rang for them to get to class.

X

"Hey, Rosette!" chirped Joshua after school, running up to her. "Soo…" he cooed, tilting his head awkwardly so that he could look Rosette in the eye. "Did you tell him?" she shook her head. Joshua took a step backwards, stunned. "But why? I mean, it IS your—"

"It would only make him feel even worse. I don't want to trouble him." she muttered as she quickened her pace to avoid Joshua.

"But—…" he called after her. "He should know…"

X

"I'm home…" said Chrono quietly, locking the front door.

"Don't take off you shoes!" called Shader, racing over to him.

He blinked at her. "Why?"

Shader winked at him, holding a finger to her lips. "It's a surprise!" She turned to go back to wherever she had come from but stopped and whipped around to face Chrono again. "Just be ready to go in five minutes! All you need is yourself, but I trust that you've been practicing Byakuya, right?" Before he could answer, she pranced away up to her room.

X

"The studio," stated Chrono, completely stunned by their drive up to the building. "Why are we here? I thought Maggie wanted us to live like normal—"

"Ooh, wish-wash!" chirped Shader, getting out of the car. "If you must know, we're doing a mini-album with the fan songs before you go back to France. Y'know, as a sort of goodbye present from all of us!"

X

"Okie-dokie!" cheered Shader once they were inside and all set up. "Who wants to go first?" they all turned away, and she blew out her cheeks. "Do you wanna draw straws?" she asked sarcastically; they turned away even more. Shader sighed. "Alright, fine…" she cleared her throat and pointed over to Chrono.

"Why me?" he cried.

"Eeny," stated the girl. Her point moved over to Genai; "Meeny," then to Rizelle "Miny," and stopped on Aion; "Mo. Catch… a… tiger…by… the… toe. If… he… hollers… let… him… go. Eeny…Meeny…Miny…Mo." She stopped on Viede who groaned but stepped up to the mic nevertheless. "Sing it, boi!" she called comically from behind the window. Maggie gave him a thumbs-up to show that she was recording. Viede sighed again and started his song.

_Nureta hitomi no oku aoi tsuki wa shizuka ni kobore ochite yuku  
__Azayaka na sekai wa oto mo naku shizuka ni yami ni kiete yuku  
__Byou yomi no naka kake meguru yami no naka o  
__Soshite arata naru toki o mukae ima ..._

Shader sighed, loving the melody of the tune that matched Viede's voice perfectly.

_Kizutsuita kuroi tsubasa tsuki no akari ni  
__Terasarete utsukushiku maiagare  
__Shinkou no kuchidzuke ga ima kokoro no oku ni  
__Nagare komu soshite yume no naka e ..._

Rizelle suppressed a small giggle. Sure, her Japanese was a little rusty, but she still got the gist of this dark love song.

_Chinmoku no sora kiete yuku senritsu no  
__MERODII ni ima inori o komete  
__Tozasareta yume no tsuzuki sagashi mo tomete  
__Itsumademo aruki tsuzukeru_

Genai groaned will tapping his fingers irritably on the arm of the chair he was sitting in. He hated having nothing to do; especially when in that nothing was listening to whiny, mushy, drabble. Rizelle smacked him upside the head and muttered "quit it, or _you'll_ go next." in a threatening tone. Genai turned away. _'How?'_ he thought darkly. _'How does she always know what I'm thinking?'_ He looked back up at her to find that she was staring down at him with one eyebrow raised. "'Cuz it's written all over your face." She whispered teasingly, clicking her teeth. Genai shuttered and turned back to Viede, trying to be a good little hell-raiser.

_Kizutsuita kuroi tsubasa tsuki no akari ni  
__Terasarete utsukushiku maiagare  
__Shinkou no kuchi zukega ima kokoro no oku ni  
__Nagare komu soshite yume no naka e ..._

Viede took a deep breath and looked up from his little page of lyrics to see the others (well, except for Genai) silently applauding him behind the soundproof window. He smiled at them, something he rarely does, to let them know that he was happy that they liked his song. I mean, it's not ever day that he sings…in fact, in their entire careers, I don't believe Viede has _ever_ sung before. He's usually just the quiet one playing drums. Viede exited the recording booth and joined the others outside the window.

"So…" drawled Aion, "who's next?"

Shader put a finger to chin and thought for a moment. "Hmm…I guess Viede should choose next…" but when she looked over at the boy, he flushed a light pink and turned away, dismissing the idea. Shader huffed. "Fine," she pouted, turning back to the others. After a second, a sly grin spread across her face. "Since you're the one who brought it up," she began mischievously, "YOU'RE next Aion!" she chirped.

The older boy took a fumbling step backwards and began to stutter. "Wh-wh-what? Why?"

"Because!" squeaked the girl while pushing him into the recording area. Before he could even turn around, Shader locked the door and waved at him cheerfully from behind the glass. Aion growled and went to stand in front of the mic. "You'll pay for this," he muttered darkly.

"Empty threats, that's all they are!" she chirped, still waving at him.

Maggie tapped on the glass, getting Aion's attention; she gave him the thumbs and mouthed "go".

Aion heard his prerecorded music begin and he smirked, starting the familiar lyrics.

_Sitting On An  
__Angry chair  
angry walls that steal the air  
stomach hurts and I don't care _

what do I see across the way  
see myself molded in clay  
stares at me, yeah I'm afraid  
changing the shape of his face

Rizelle smacked her forehead. _'Oi,'_ she thought wearily, _'leave it to Aion to pick out the simplest lyrics to memorize. He's soo lazy…'_

_candles red I have a pair  
shadows dancing everywhere  
burning on the angry chair _

little boy made a mistake  
pink cloud has now turned to grey  
all that I want is to play  
get on your knees, time to pray boy

Genai grinned, tapping a little beat to match the song. _'Now THIS is my kinda music!'_ he thought contentedly. He opened his eyes and saw Rizelle glaring down at him. He instinctively wrapped his arms around his head and whimpered "don't hurt me!"

_I don't mind, yeah  
I don't mind, I-I-I  
lost my mind, yeah  
but I don't mind, I-I-I  
can't find it anywhere  
I don't mind _

corporate prison we stay  
I'm a dull boy, work all day  
so I'm strung out anyway

loneliness is not a phase  
field of pain is where I graze  
serenity is far away

Shader watched Aion in the recording booth, trying to analyze him to see the reason why he had chosen this particular song. Poor thing, putting so much thought into such a thoughtless element like Aion (and when I say thoughtless, I mean brainless, as in lack of thoughts). The reason he's singing this one—he thought it sounded cool.

_  
Say my reflection and cried  
so little hope that I died  
feed me your lies, open wide  
Weight of my heart, not the size_

_  
Pink cloud has  
__Now turned to grey  
all that I want is to play  
get on your knees time to pray_

After the music stopped, Aion looked over at his fellow band members and narrowed his gaze. Shader was still trying to analyze his song, Rizelle looked bored out of her mind, Chrono and Viede seemed to be off in their own little worlds, and Genai was cheering like crazy, demanding an encore. Aion sighed, he was so misunderstood! (…pfft! Yeah right…)

"Yo," started Aion, jamming his thumb behind him to point at the microphone. "Mr. Insane-in-the-non-existent-membrane," Genai stopped cheering, knowing that Aion was talking in to him. "Why don't you go next?" Genai shrugged and walked into the booth. He sat down and adjusted his headset. He looked over at Maggie; there's the thumb.

_Yeah,  
__sharp like an edge of a samurai sword  
__the mental blade cut through flesh and bone  
__though my mind's at peace, the world out of order  
__missing the inner heat, life gets colder  
__oh yes, I have to find my path  
__no less, walk on earth, water, and fire  
__the elements compose a magnum opus  
__my modus is operandi is amalgam  
__steel packed tight in microchip  
__on my arm a sign of all-pro  
__the ultimate reward is honor, not awards  
__at odds with the times in wars with no lords_

Shader sighed. _'Of course…a rap about violence and honor…That is SO Genai…'_

_a freelancer,  
__a battle cry of a hawk make a dove fly and a tear dry  
__wonder why a lone wolf don't run with a klan  
__only trust your instincts and be one with the plan_

Chrono, finally snapping back to reality, actually began to listen to his friends' songs. Somehow, this battle cry thing reminded him of…himself. In a weird, feudal Japan, samurai time period kind of way…

_some days, some nights  
__some live, some die  
__in the way of the samurai  
__some fight, some bleed  
__sun up to sun down  
__the sons of a battle cry  
__some days, some nights  
__some live, some die  
__in the name of the samurai  
__some fight, some bleed  
__sun up to sun down  
__the sons of a battle cry  
__a battle cry…_

'_Wow…'_ thought Viede faintly. _'Maybe there's hope for that brainless dope after all… unless this whole thing about honor is nothing more than a cover sham to hide his true stupidity.'_

_look, just the air around him  
__an aura surrounding the heir apparent  
__he might be a peasant but shine like grand royalty  
__he to the people and land, loyalty  
__we witness above all to hear this,  
__sea sickness in the ocean of wickedness  
__set sail to the sun set no second guessing_

Rizelle stared at the rapping idiot in the recording room. _'Mmhm,'_ she thought firmly,_ 'a sure way to tell that this is a fan song—Genai can't rhyme worth shit.'_

_far east style with the spirit of wild west  
__the "quote-unquote" code stands the test of  
__time for the chosen ones to find the best of  
__noble minds that ever graced the face of  
__a hemisphere with no fear, fly over_

'Yep, defiantly a sham.'

_the blue yonder where  
__the sky meets the sea  
__and eye meets no eye  
__and boy meets world  
__and became a man to serve the world  
__to save the day, the night, and the girl too_

'_Save the girl…?'_ thought Aion curiously._ 'Ooh…It's like a video game… a bloody, M rated, Soul Caliber, video game…'_

_some days, some nights  
__some live, some die  
__in the way of the samurai  
__some fight, some bleed  
__sun up to sun down  
__the sons of a battle cry  
__some days, some nights  
__some live, some die  
__in the name of the samurai  
__some fight, some bleed  
__sun up to sun down  
__the sons of a battle cry  
__a battle cry…_

The music stopped and Genai carefully removed his headset. He threw his arms over his head and called "peace out!" like a total wannabe rapper. The others groaned as he came back out to stand with them. "You!" he cried, snapping a pointed finger to Rizelle. "You up next, G-dog!" As Rizelle walked passed him to get into the recording room, she smacked him upside the head and muttered "stop being such a fag!" In return, Genai covered his abused, yet empty, head and whimpered "quit being so mean!" like a little girl.

When Rizelle's music started, the others went dead silent.

"It sounds like an elephant crying…" muttered Shader.

"More like someone stepping on a cat." retorted Genai.

Inside the booth, Rizelle shot him an icy glare; like she knew what he had said. Ohh…she IS psychic.

_Baby, can't you see  
__I'm calling  
__A guy like you  
__Should wear a warning  
__It's dangerous  
__I'm fallin'_

'_Definitely a Rizelle song.'_ thought the others with a shudder.

_There's no escape  
__I can't wait  
__I need a hit  
__Baby, give me it  
__You're dangerous  
__I'm lovin' it_

'_Dangerous, eh?'_ thought Genai with a wicked grin and naughty thoughts running through his mind. Again, Rizelle shot him a quick glare, ceasing his gutter mind's musings.

_Too high  
__Can't come down  
__Losing my head  
__Spinning 'round and 'round  
__Do you feel me now?_

Shader covered her real ears, fake cat ones pressed down, at her friend's singing. _'So…shrill…Aaaaaahhh…!'_

_With a taste of your lips  
__I'm on a ride  
__You're toxic I'm slipping under  
__With a taste of a poison paradise  
__I'm addicted to you  
__Don't you know that you're toxic?  
__And I love what you do  
__Don't you know that you're toxic?  
__  
__It's getting late  
__To give you up  
__I took a sip  
__From my devil's cup  
__Slowly  
__It's taking over me_

'_Ooh…demonic…'_ thought Aion with a twisted sense of darkness. _'Hmm…I wonder what it would be like to be an evil demon trying to destroy the world? Ha! Wouldn't that be something?'_

_Too high  
__Can't come down  
__It's in the air  
__And it's all around  
__Can you feel me now_

'_Can I feel you…?'_ thought Genai, his gutter mind quickly going back to work.

'_Note to self,' _thought Rizelle as she sang, _'kill Genai.'_

_With a taste of your lips  
__I'm on a ride  
__You're toxic I'm slipping under  
__With a taste of a poison paradise  
__I'm addicted to you  
__Don't you know that you're toxic?  
__And I love what you do  
__Don't you know that you're toxic?  
__Don't you know that you're toxic?_

_With a taste of your lips  
__I'm on a ride  
__You're toxic I'm slipping under  
__With a taste of a poison paradise  
__I'm addicted to you  
__Don't you know that you're toxic?  
__  
With a taste of your lips  
__I'm on a ride  
__You're toxic I'm slipping under  
__With a taste of a poison paradise  
__I'm addicted to you  
__Don't you know that you're toxic?_

_Intoxicate me now  
__With your lovin' now  
__I think I'm ready now  
__I think I'm ready now  
__Intoxicate me now  
__With your lovin' now  
__I think I'm ready now_

"It's finally over! No more shrill head aching-ness!" cried Viede of all people.

Rizelle huffed as she came out of the room. "Who's next?" she asked tiredly.

Chrono and Shader looked over at each other. "Well, dear cousin," began the girl with a mischievous smirk. "What's it gonna be?"

"…" Chrono stared at her, trying to psychically bore the 'suggestion' of her going next into her mind. But, unfortunately, he is not Rizelle.

"Ichi," stated Shader, balling her fist.

Chrono sighed, holding out his own hand. "Ni…"

"San!" cried Shader, sticking her fingers out like a pair of scissors. Chrono wiggled his pathetic paper fingers, sighing again. Shader laughed as the boy went into the recording room. "Ha ha! I rule janken!" The others groaned.

_Kanashii hodo hikaridashita shiroi yami kirisaku tsubasa ni nare_

That got the others' attention.

_tsumetai taiyou ni terasarete'ta  
__kainarasareta jiyuu ga atta  
__kagami ni utsutta kiseki no yoru  
__MASUKU o hazushihajimeta My Soul_

Shader and Rizelle sighed, on the brink of swooning—Chrono is soo hot!

_kuzurete yuku kabe no mukou wa  
__zetsubou mo kibou mo onaji kao suru  
__mitasarenai kokoro aru nara  
__tobitateru shuumatsu no PUROROOGU e_

Genai and Aion huffed, jealous of Chrono. Out of all the band members, in total comparison, they got gypped the most in the area of natural talent.

_yaiba no you na kaze fuku sekai  
__mamorubeki mono wa nan na no ka?  
__hitotsu hitotsu itami o shiru tabi  
__hontou no jibun e to chikadzuku_

Maggie smiled to herself, glad that she got the chance to record Chrono again. Her smile dimmed a moment. _'Maybe I should have said yes to him…'_ she thought sadly.

_kieyuku Fake Light  
__umareyuku True Light  
__kono te ni..._

There it is—SWOON!

_shiroku somaru yami tsukinukete  
__atarashii jidai o kizamitsudzukero  
__tokihanashita kokoro no mama ni  
__hateshinaku tsudzuite'ku byakuya o tobe_

Chrono looked over at his friends and turned bright red. The girls were acting like fan girls and the boys (excluding Viede) were acting like jealous fags.

Before he could even stand up, Shader came bouncing into the room and pushed Chrono away in a hurry, chanting "my turn, my turn!" She looked over at Maggie—YAY! The thumb!

_I still hear your voice, when you sleep next to me.  
__I still feel your touch in my dreams.  
__Forgive me my weakness, but I don't know why.  
__Without you it's hard to survive. _

Aion gawked at the girl in pure disbelief. _'Such a dirty, peppy song…but when she sings it…it's like watching an adorable twelve year old manipulate the minds of teens…Oh, wait, that's Ms. Hendric…' _

_Cause everytime we touch, I get this feeling.  
__And everytime we kiss I swear I could fly.  
__Can't you feel my heart beat fast, I want this to last.  
__I need you by my side.  
__Cause everytime we touch, I feel the static.  
__And everytime we kiss, I reach for the sky.  
__Can't you hear my heart beat so.  
__I can't let you go.  
__I want you in my life. _

'_Go girl! You tell him! If this song doesn't get through to that block head—nothing will!'_ cheered Rizelle silently.

_Your arms are my castle, your heart is my sky.  
__They wipe away tears that I cry.  
__The good and the bad times, we've been through them all.  
__You make me rise when I fall. _

'_Poor Shader…he doesn't have a clue, does he?' _wondered Viede.

_Cause everytime we touch, I get this feeling.  
__And everytime we kiss I swear I could fly.  
__Can't you feel my heart beat fast, I want this to last.  
__I need you by my side.  
__Cause everytime we touch, I feel the static.  
__And everytime we kiss, I reach for the sky.  
__Can't you hear my heart beat so  
__I can't let you go.  
__I want you in my life. _

'_Rosette…'_ thought Chrono sadly, staring down at his feet. More than anything, he wanted to just dash out of the room, go straight to Rosette's house, and run away with her. But reality is a far cry from a fairytale like that. Plus, Maggie would beat the crap out of him if he tried to run away.

_Cause everytime we touch, I get this feeling.  
__And everytime we kiss, I swear I could fly.  
__Can't you feel my heart beat fast.  
__I want this to last.  
__I need you by my side._

"Whaddya think?" chirped Shader, coming back to her friends.

"That had to be THE stupidest song I've ever heard." pouted Genai. Shader glared over at him and puffed out her cheeks.

"Well, it's not MY fault." She snapped defensively. "It's a FAN song. A FAN wrote it. I'm just singing it."

Genai snorted. "Whatever," he mumbled, standing up and walking out of the room. But just as he reached for the doorknob, the door swung open, smacking him good. "Owe…" he whimpered. Maggie peeked out from behind the door and blinked at him.

"What are you standing behind the door for?" she asked like the complete flake that she is.

"Why are you hitting me with it…?" he asked sourly, grasping his nose. Maggie shrugged and came into the room, trotting right passed the other band members.

"Um, can we go home now?" asked Viede, following Maggie as she strode into the recording room.

She turned to him and winked. "Nope!" she chirped, closing the door behind her.

In the recoding booth, she sat down and adjusted the headset, then she pulled out a remote, pointed it towards the little room she normally sits in, and pressed one of the buttons. Immediately, music began to play.

_Kiss me sweet  
__I'm sleeping in silence  
__All alone  
__In ice and snow_

_In my dream  
__I'm calling your name  
__You are my love_

Everyone just kind of stared at their manager…for far longer than a minute.

_In your eyes  
__I search for my memory  
__Lost in vain  
__So far in the scenery  
__Hold me tight,  
__And swear again and again  
__We'll never be apart_

She was singing. But WHY? WHY is Maggie, of all the people in the entire world, singing?-! It's unthinkable! Unimaginable! Unbelievable! Un-…un…un-adjective-able!

_If you could touch my feathers softly  
__I'll give you my love  
__We set sail in the darkness of the night  
__Out to the sea  
__To find me there  
__To find you there  
__Love me now  
__If you dare…_

"…" (others still totally freaked out by the fact that their manager was singing. And quite well at that…)

_Kiss me sweet  
__I'm sleeping in silence  
__All alone_

_To see you tomorrow  
__In my dream  
__I'm calling your name  
__You are my love…  
__My love…_

Maggie looked over at her managees and rolled her eyes; they were still freaking out. "Get over it!" she ordered.

X

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

"Ugh…" groaned Joshua the next morning. "Fraking alarm clock…go to hell…" he grumbled, hitting the snooze button. He's really not a morning person, is he?

Just as Joshua rolled over and pulled his covers over his head, he heard his door open and Rosette tiptoe in, trying to be quiet. She leaned down close to him and just as she was about to yell at him to get up, he groaned and open his eyes, sparing his ears. "I'm up…I'm up…" he moaned, rolling off the side of his bed and landing on the floor with a loud THUD.

X

"Good morning!"

"'Morning!"

Joshua groaned. How can everybody be so cheerful this early in the morning? It's just not right…

"Joshua!" called a tiny voice. He heard little foot steps coming up behind him and a small pair of arms wrap around his middle tightly. "Good morning!" chirped the girl.

Joshua rubbed his eyes, not turning around to look at the girl. "Ohayo…Imotochan…" he muttered groggily. Azzy scuttled around to look him in the face; she still was hugging him.

"What's wrong?" she squeaked.

"Ugh…" groaned the boy, still rubbing his eye, trying to wake up.

"Come on," ordered another girl, walking right passed him and taking a hold on his shirt collar. "We'll be late for class."

"Eh…Neesan…?"

Fiore sighed and turned around, blowing out her cheeks at the boy. "You were up late AGAIN last night, weren't you?" Joshua looked away, pouting just like a little kid. Fiore sighed again. "We have a free period fourth; can you stay awake until then?" Joshua nodded a little after a moment. Fiore smiled warmly at him. "Good."

X

"And it was then that in 1776 representatives met once again Philadelphia for what is known as the second continental congress where…" drawled Mrs. Grace, pacing across the room as her students took notes.

"Psst, Joshua," hissed Fiore, leaning over to the boy and poking him. "Wake up!"

"Uhn?" mumbled the boy, barely opening one eyes.

"Just three more periods, just stay awake!" she ordered.

"Uhn…"

X

"Please open your books to page 436." stated Miss Hendric. As her students pulled out their books, or made excuses as to why they didn't have theirs, Azmaria glanced over at Joshua and scooted over to him.

"Mr. Christopher," she said, not looking at him. When he didn't say anything, she glanced down at him. "Joshua," she whispered. He lifted his head weakly.

"Eh?"

"Stay awake," she ordered, "I don't want to give you detention."

"Mmkay…"

X

Fiore looked over at Joshua and groaned—he was asleep again. She couldn't blame him though, math was more boring than any thing else. "One more period," she whispered, nudging him a little.

X

Joshua stumbled outside; finally it was his free period. Fiore rushed over to him and kept him from toppling over. "Joshua," she breathed, "if this is going to happen every time you stay up late, then you should start going to bed earlier."

"…No…" he protested sleepily. Fiore rolled her eyes but smiled at him nevertheless.

"Here," she said, guiding him over to a bench. Right away, Joshua flopped down on it, practically asleep already. Fiore smiled and sat down next to him.

"Fiore, Joshua!" called Azzy, running up to the pair. When she reached them she bent over, panting and out of breath. "S-sorry I'm late…"

Fiore smiled over at the girl. "It's okay," she said quietly. "I don't think he'll mind." She motioned over to Joshua who was snoozing quietly.

Azzy giggled quietly and hopped up onto the bench next to the boy and wrapped her arms around him, snuggling up to him. She closed her eyes and whispered "I love naps…"

Fiore rested her head on Joshua's shoulder and held his hand, also closing her eyes. "Me too…"

X

Shader smiled, watching the trio over on the bench, peacefully sound asleep together.

"Shader?" asked a voice from behind her, making her jump.

"Chrono!" she squeaked whipping around. "Wh-what is it?"

"What're you doing out here?" he asked, staring at her skeptically.

"I, um, was…just on my way to choir, why?"

"…No reason." With that, he turned to go back inside and called over his shoulder "come on, or we'll be late to class!"

"Right!" chirped Shader, starting to hop after him, but she stopped. Chrono turned around to see that her peppy mood was gone and she was staring down at her shoes, wringing her hands. "Um…Chrono?" she whispered after a moment.

"Yeah?" he asked, blinked at her, very confused as to why she was acting so strangely.

"I was just…Um…" she bowed her head even more. "Would it be alright if I went back to France with you and your mom?"

X

X

X

Me: Eh heh… Did I say "2 parts"? I actually meant "3 parts".

Fiore: What's the point of this? Why don't you just admit them as different chapters and stop calling them parts?

Me: Why don't YOU tell me where the others are?

Fiore: Uhh… (looks away) AHEM! (clears throat) Anyway, are you doing this in parts 'cuz this is the end?

Me: Hell. No.

Fiore: Then WHY? Were you just trying to fit this whole 'week before France' thing into one chapter and then it turned out too long so you split it into parts?

Me: Yep!

Fiore: Oi… Well, in that case, you DO have the next part all written out, right?

Me: Nope!

Fiore: …You'll be the death of me.

Me: Speaking of death, where'd you say the others are?

Fiore: Uhh… In…the…closet…?

Me: (opens door to the closet again and all 'dead' CC people fall out)

Everyone else: Aiee!

Chrono: Wh-what just happened?

Joshua: Where'd I go just now?

Fiore: What IS that closet's secret?

**What IS the evil closet's true intentions? Find out in the next exciting chapter of Tales of Interest! … I mean Itloars!**

Fiore: Who IS that stupid voice over?

Me: Beats me.

------

Songs:

1. **Everytime we touch,** By: Cascada, Sung by: Shader, Submitted by: **Hime-sama no kokoro**

2. **Eden,** From: Descendents of Darkness (a.k.a.: Yami no matsue), Sung by: Viede, Submitted by: **Darian Aidyn**

3. **Angry chair,** By: Alice in chains, Sung by: Aion,Submitted by: **Dethfan88**

4. **You are my love,** From: Tsubasa Chronicle, Sung by: Maggie (Magdalene), Submitted by: **Chin-92**

5. **Byakuya,** From: DNAngel, Sung by: Chrono,Submitted by: **Merodi-chan**

6. **Toxic,** By: Brittany Spears, Sung by: Rizelle, Submitted by: **Dragoon-Yue**

7. **Battle Cry,** From: Samurai Champloo, Sung by: Genai, Submitted by: Me, eh heh… (So sue, I couldn't find a song for Genai that I liked enough).

Thank you to everyone who submitted a song request!  I tried to use only one song per person and I was going for mostly English songs for this one, just 'cuz they live in New York and not many people (probably) know Japanese. That goes for you readers, too. And if you wanna know the English translations for some of the songs, you can go to AnimeLyrics(dot)com. All the info you need to find them is listed above. I also hope to use the other suggestions I received in later chapters!


	21. Chapter 18 Part 3

**First off…**

Me: Okay, before anything else, I have something to say to all of you. Ritsu? Would you care to do the honors?

Ritsu: (nods and clears throat) GOMEN NASAI!-!-!-!-!-!-!-! (sobs)

Me: Thank you.

Ritsu: Gomen nasai… (exits)

Chrono: What the hell did THAT mean?

Me: "I'm very sorry".

Chrono: Eh? What for?

Me: 'Cuz I took so long in updating.

Chrono: Yeah, well… Here's the part where you tell them that your spring break is coming up and you're going to write like crazy and stockpile chapters. Am I right?

Me: For once—yes.

Chrono: So get on with it, bitch.

Me: …Do you WANT to die?

**Previously…**

Me: Speaking of death, where'd you say the others are?

Fiore: Uhh… In…the…closet…?

Me: (opens door to the closet again and all 'dead' CC people fall out)

Everyone else: Aiee!

Fiore: What IS that closet's secret?

**And now…**

Fiore: (turns to authoress) Where'd you get this closet from?

Me: Normally that'd be a stupid question considering that closets usually are made along with a house. But seeing as how that one appeared mysteriously not too long ago, I'm gonna say that it's magic.

Fiore: Pfftht! Oh please, there's a better chance of that thing being a transdimensional gateway into, oh I dunno, Munich, Germany, 1923.

Closet: (bursts open once more and several FMA characters come crashing out)

Ed: (looks around) We're free? Bwa ha ha! At least—we're free! Good-BYE Munich—Hello—… This isn't Resembool.

Al: I feel like I've been here before, Brother.

Rosette: Um… Why are you guys suddenly in your twenties?

Ed and Al: (looks at each other and then back at Rosette)

Ed: Hey—I remember you now! (pulls Rosette into his arms and dips her romantically)

Rosette: (blush!)

Chrono: Hey! Get your hands off her!

Ed: (looks at Chrono and laughs)

Chrono: What? WHAT? What's so funny?

Al: Aw, tear… the sadness.

Chrono: Huh—wha—AUTHORESS! What're they talking about?

Me: (turns away) Oh… they're right. You, poor, poor boy… (sniff)

………

Me: (laughs at Chrono)

Chrono: I don't like where this is going…

X

X

X

"I was just…Um…" she bowed her head even more. "Would it be alright if I went back to France with you and your mom?" she whispered meekly.

Chrono only continued to stare at her, not quite sure what to say. But after a moment of standing slack jawed and stupefied, he managed to spit out "why?"

"Because…" she murmured softly, "because…I just wanna see my folks again—that's all!" she squeaked, laughing at herself for no reason. Her bubbly nature had suddenly come back to her, but Chrono could tell that she was faking it.

So he just smiled and said "sure."

Ding Dong Ding Dong! (You're late, you little tax deductions!)

"Aah!" shrieked Shader, "we're late, we're late! Oh no, oh no!" she bounced passed Chrono and up the stairs and back into the building, calling "hyaku, hyaku, Chrono-kun!" behind her.

Chrono sighed and slowly followed her. "Hai, hai…" he muttered. "It doesn't matter anymore—we're still gonna get marked late."

X

"Rosette?" asked Joshua after school, walking up to his sister who, for some odd reason, was skulking in the shadows.

"Eep!" she shrieked, whipping around to face him. "Are you trying to kill me?" she hissed, grasping her chest.

"Nn…" mumbled the boy, rubbing his eye.

"What's wrong?" asked Rosette, taking a step closer to him.

Joshua shook his head and stepped back, still rubbing his eye sleepily. "I'm just a little tired is all…" he said, taking a big yawn. "Neesan says that I'm staying up too late."

"But," started Rosette with a worried expression. "You went to bed at eight o'clock last night."

Joshua turned away, laughing nervously. "Shows what you know," he squeaked. "I had my headphones on and was having a Prétear marathon!" he laughed. Joshua gave a start when he felt his sister's cool hand lay softy upon his forehead, ceasing his rant.

"You're burning up." whispered Rosette, flipping her hand over. Joshua smiled at her and took her hand into his own.

"I'm fine," he said kindly, lowering there hands, "really."

"No you're not!" breathed Rosette. "I know you went to bed early—I checked in on you less than an hour later!" Joshua smiled guiltily, squeezing the girl's hands slightly. "Go home," urged Rosette, gazing up at her brother, "please."

Joshua took a deep breath and then sighed heavily. "It'd mean missing auditions…" he muttered, closing his eyes. "But I'll go…" His eyes shot open when he felt Rosette wrap her arms around him and whisper "thank you."

………

"So why are you back here in the dark?" asked Joshua all of a sudden.

Rosette immediately let go of her brother and stumbled backwards. "Wh-what do y-you mean?" she squeaked frantically.

Joshua grinned wickedly at her. "Oh…" he cooed, "I see. You're HIDING from a fan boy, aren't you?"

"N-no!" squeaked Rosette, blushing brightly. "Wh-what w-would give y-you th-that idea?"

"Hmm…Well, maybe it's the fact that you're STUTTERING." He said teasingly.

"I-I am not!" Rosette stopped; someone had come out of the school—someone with a VERY familiar voice.

"So she wants to go to France with you?" asked Genai.

"Yeah," replied Chrono as they walked down the front steps together.

"Good riddance!" snorted Genai haughtily.

"What're you doing?" hissed Joshua in the shadows. As soon as the boys had come out of the building, Rosette had clapped her hand over her brother's mouth and moved them to the darkest corner of the outside walls.

"SHH!" she hissed back, clamping her hand over his lips more tightly.

"_Mmrmph!_"

Once the rock stars had gone, Rosette removed her hand and sighed heavily. "That was close…" she murmured.

"What the heck?" demanded Joshua quite loudly. "Why are you avoiding your boyfriend?"

Rosette turned away. "…" she shook her head. "Come on," she said after a moment, "let's get you home."

X

"WHAAAATT?" yelled Ms. du Monium at dinner that night. "Why on earth do you want to come back with us, child?"

Shader shrugged. "I just wanna, that's all." She stated, popping some broccoli into her mouth. "I 'ean—I 'a'en't 'een 'em in 'ears."

"Don't talk with your mouth full." said Maggie sternly.

"'Orry." said Shader, swallowing her veggies.

Maggie sighed. "Without you and Chrono, this place is going to be awfully quiet."

Shader smiled. "Oh please, I'm sure Genai will compensate with some extra chaos just for you."

"WHAT?" demanded said boy, slamming his fists down on the table. "What the hell makes you think that I'd do that?"

"Simply," stated the kitty girl. "You're you. And you'll always be a destructive loudmouth."

"WHAT WAS THAT?"

X

"Call ME a loudmouth, will she?" grumbled Genai after dinner as he stomped up to his room. "Why I oughtta—" he slammed his door, making its frame rattle, as he flopped down heavily in front of his desk. "Who the hell does she think she is?" he yelled up at the ceiling.

After a moment, he sighed and slumped back in his chair. "Maybe I wouldn't be such a destructive loud mouth if she—" he shook his head. "Damn that bitch!" he yelled. "What the fuck is she trying to prove?"

After a moment, Genai sighed again and let his head fall painfully onto his desk with a solid THUD. "What am I doing?" he asked quietly.

X

"Good morning Rosette!" chirped Mary the next day. "It's TGIF day!" she squeaked. After a minute, when Rosette didn't say anything, Mary looked down at her friend concernedly. "What's wrong?"

Rosette sighed, not lifting her head from her desk. "He's not here…" she whispered. "Though," she said, laughing a little. "I suppose he _does_ need a day to pack…"

"Huh?" asked Mary. "What'cha talking about?"

Rosette shook her head. "Nothing," she muttered.

X

"Need help?" asked Shader, knocking lightly on Chrono's door. He looked up at her and she smiled. "I'm all finished packing and thought that you might be a little behind."

Chrono snorted. "Yeah, THAT'S the understatement of the year."

Shader's smile softened as she went to sit down next to her cousin on his bed. "Have you said goodbye to her yet?" she asked kindly.

Chrono shook his head. "What am I supposed to say to her? 'It's been fun but I'm never going to see you again'?"

"No," whispered Shader softly. "Not a goodbye like that, but I think she'd be heartbroken if you didn't say anything to her. And besides, I'm sure you two will see each other again… someday." Shader turned to Chrono but found that he was staring down at the floor.

"I don't want to go…" he choked quietly, holding back tears. Shader's smile saddened as she wrapped her arms around the boy, trying to comfort him. "But…what can I do?"

"Move forward." said the girl simply. Chrono looked up at her, startled by her answer. "Keep living, keep moving, let life take you were it wants, and in the end, you'll be where you want."

"…How can you be sure?"

Shader looked away sadly. "I can't. But it's what I believe."

"How can you keep believing?"

"…It's hard." whispered the girl, narrowing her gaze. "But I do need something to believe in."

"So then…Why that?"

Shader looked back over at Chrono and smiled weakly. "Because it's what I've learned about the world." She closed her eyes and folded her hands in her lap. "A little over ten years ago, I met someone who inspired me. He taught me things I could never learn on my own, he made me feel like I had something to live for. And because of that, I fell in love with him. After that summer, I thought I'd never see him again. But I did." Shader trailed off, gazing down at the carpet. "And I told him how I feel, but I'm still waiting for an answer." She took a deep breath and smiled at Chrono. "So I just have to let life do its thing and hope he feels the same way!" she chirped. "Because there's not much I can do at this point except give him a little space."

"…Is that why you're going back to France?"

Shader nodded. "Well," she breathed, standing up. "Your clothes aren't going to pack themselves, now are they?"

X

Rosette sat alone in the kitchen of her midsized apartment, listening to her pocket watch tick away the seconds. The house was pretty much silent; Joshua was asleep up in his room and Satella was out arguing with her agent over whether or not she has to go back to Germany and get on with her career. Rosette sighed and smiled faintly. _'It seems like everyone's leaving…'_ she thought sadly. She gave a small start when her pants starting vibrating, sending small shivers up her sides. She quickly took her cell phone out of her pocket and flipped it open. "Hello?"

"…_Um…Rosette? It's Chrono."_ came the boy's sweet voice from the other end.

Rosette smiled at finally getting to talk to him today, but her lips quickly faded back down when she realized what he was probably going to say. "Hi," she whispered softly. "I missed you at school today." She said, trying to prolong the inevitable.

Chrono laughed a little. _"Yeah well…I have to stuff my suitcase at some point."_ Rosette tried to smile, or even laugh at his lame joke, but she found that her mouth simply wouldn't open. _"So,"_ said Chrono, clearing his throat. _"D-do you want to go out tonight? My flight's at ten tomorrow, but I can sleep on the plane."_ He waited for an answer, but it never came. _"Rosette?"_ he asked, wondering if something had happened.

Rosette stared down at her phone, thinking how wonderful it would be to have one last fling before he left. But then she thought it would only be harder if she did. She thought that if she didn't see him—or even say goodbye—then it might ease the pain a little. "No." she said before pressing the 'end' button.

X

Chrono stared at his phone, listening to the dull drown of the disconnected line. He sighed and flipped the cover back into place. "How'd it go?" asked Shader, poking her head out from behind the open suitcase.

"She…" started Chrono quietly. "She wasn't there." He said simply, smiling over at Shader. "I got her voicemail."

The girl sighed, flipping the luggage shut. "She said no, huh? Well…I guess it's good either way. At least now you two won't have a real long and sappy goodbye." She looked up at Chrono and saw that he was smiling at her pathetic attempt to cheer him up. After a moment, she sighed again and said "give me your phone."

Chrono stared at her, totally bewildered, as she marched up to him and snatched his cell.

X

Rosette had her head laid on the table, cradled by her arms, wishing that she had the nerve to call Chrono back and change her answer. That's when her pants starting vibrating again. She squeaked a little as she fumbled her phone open. "Y-yes?" she stuttered quickly.

"_Hi, Rosy-Posy!"_ chirped Shader on the other end. Rosette could hear Chrono yelling at the girl frantically in the background.

"Wh-what's up?" asked Rosette, stunned by the girl's call.

"_Do you believe in second chances?" _she chirped.

Rosette blinked at her phone. "Huh?" she asked stupidly. And before she knew it, she heard Chrono and Shader exchange some incoherent squeaks.

"_What're you giving it to me for?"_

"_Knock 'em dead, boi!"_

Rosette heard Chrono groan loud and clear, telling her that he now had possession of the phone. _"U-um…Hello?"_ he asked after a second.

"Yes." breathed Rosette with a warm smile spreading across her lips.

"_Where do you want to meet?"_ asked the boy quickly, hope returning to his normal, sweet voice.

X

"So…" cooed Rosette later that night, "Central Park, huh?" She looked up at Chrono; he was staring in the opposite direction.

"Yeah…" he whispered, finally looking over at her. "Wanna go for a walk?"

Rosette smiled. "Isn't that why we're here?" she giggled, latching onto his arm and shivering in the cold weather.

X

Even after an hour of walking, the two remained silent. It wasn't the perfect last fling that Rosette had imagined, but it would do. She snuggled up to Chrono, shifting her hands on the hold she still had on his arm. He looked down at her and smiled. "Is something wrong?" he asked sweetly. Rosette pressed her forehead against his shoulder and tightened her grip.

"What…" she whispered, voice wavering as if she was about to cry. "What's wrong? Everything's wrong, that's what!" she squeaked. Chrono stared down at her, not quite sure what to say. "Why do you have to go? It's not fair! Not when… Not when everything's starting going our way." She sobbed, tears finally falling and soaking Chrono's sleeve.

"Rosette…" he whispered sadly.

"Why tomorrow? Why not next week? Or the next day? Why tomorrow when it's…When I won't even get to see you one last time!"

Chrono cradled his arms around the quaking girl, pulling her into a warm embrace. "You'll see me again." He whispered reassuringly.

"When? On television?" asked Rosette sarcastically.

"No," pouted Chrono, slightly annoyed that she'd say something like that. "My mother can't keep me on a leash forever. I'm guaranteed legal rights when I turn eighteen, but I'll be damned if it takes me that long to come back." He looked down at Rosette to see that she wasn't crying as hard. He sighed and smiled down at her. "Besides…we've got e-mail and snail-mail. If worst comes to worst, we can always just call each other."

Rosette laughed a little, pulling away from Chrono just enough to wipe away her tears. "Are you kidding?" she asked, still laughing. "Satella would kill me for the phone bill on a call like that."

Chrono stared at her for a moment, but then laughed along with her. "Say…" he said after a little while. "Do you wanna come to the airport tomorrow?"

Rosette gazed at him for a minute before smiling warmly and wrapping her arms around him. "Sure…"

X

"Soo…" cooed Shader, leaning over Chrono's bed awkwardly. "How was your date that _I_ so totally hooked up for you?"

Chrono smiled at his cousin, closing his door behind himself. "It was great, thank you…Charlene." He said, smirking wickedly.

Shader sat up abruptly. "You big meanie!" she cried. "I get you one last chance to see your girlfriend that YOU so stupidly blew the first time, and THIS is how you repay me?" she shrieked. Chrono stared at her, completely freaked out by her outburst. "Besides," she cried again, more comic-dramatic than before. "Sweet Christopher, how can you insist on calling me such a useless name?"

"You mean the one given to you by your parents?"

"Exactly! No one knows me or calls me by it anymore!"

"The same goes for all of us, you know."

………

"Don't you think it's kinda ironic?" asked Shader suddenly. "I mean, ironic that your real name is your girlfriend's last name?"

"I suppose…"

They stared at each other a moment before Shader clapped her hands together with a goofy grin on her face. "Now if you'll please excuse me, Chris," she cheered, jumping up, "I feel like annoying Gene and Rimona and Anton and Vincent!" she squeaked, jumping off the bed and dashing out of the room. "Oh, and by the way," she said, poking her head back in. "You're all packed for tomorrow!"

"Thank you," cooed Chrono as Shader dashed into the hall. Not two seconds later he heard Genai yelling at the poor girl hotly. Chrono gave a small start; someone had knocked on his door, and before he could say anything they came in.

"Sweetheart," chimed the woman with a fake smile. "Are you all packed?"

Chrono tsk-ed, turning away from his mother. "Yeah," he grunted, "why?"

"Good," she continued, ignoring his question. "Then get your shoes on and come down stairs."

Chrono whipped around and glared at his mother. "Why?" he asked darkly.

"Because," retorted the woman. "Our flight's been bumped up—we're leaving now."

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Shader and Genai stopped their argument and stared out the door, shocked by what they heard.

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Viede paused his and Aion's video game for a moment as they stared up at the ceiling, slightly freaked out.

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Rizelle and Maggie sat in dead silence, gazing at the stairs with wide eyes from the kitchen.

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"WHAT?" screamed Chrono at the top of his lungs, rattling the entire house. "Why the hell did you do that?"

His mother glared at him with a stern look, pursing her lips. "Such ungratefulness from my own son, please tell me, how do you have you managed to survive thus far in the world of entertainment?" she asked smugly.

"You are such a bitch!" screamed Chrono. "Why do you take so much pleasure in ruining my life?"

Before he knew it, Chrono fell back onto his bed, a bright red, stinging cut on his cheek. "Never," scowled his mother, "will you ever speak to me like that again." She threatened.

Chrono's chest quivered with every breath he took. For the first time in his life, he was afraid of his mother. He held his bleeding cheek carefully; when she had slapped him, the gems on her ring had sliced through his skin with ease.

"Now," began the woman, taking a deep breath and pushing a few strands of loose hair out of her face. "Get your things and come down stairs. We're leaving in five minutes." She glanced over at Chrono and narrowed her gaze. "Got that?" she hissed. Chrono nodded quickly, still in shock. "Good," his mother went to leave his room, and as she did so, she called down the hall "Shader! Be ready in five minutes!"

"Y-yes, Auntie!" came Shader's frantic voice from Genai's room.

As Shader watched Ms. du Monium stride down the hall and into the room she was staying in to gather her belongings, Shader swallowed hard and looked back at Genai. "So…" she whispered, "are you coming to the airport with us?"

Genai flinched and his normal glower returned to his face. "As if!" he snorted. "Just get on your stupid plane and go already!" he shouted with a little more feeling than he'd have liked.

Shader took a startled step backwards and frowned, looking down at the carpet. "Okay…" she whispered, trying to keep her voice steady. "Goodbye, then…" She turned to leave, and was about half way out the door when Genai called after her.

"Shader!" he called, reaching a hand out, but he soon retracted it when she turned around and faced him. "I, um…" he looked away, jamming his eyes shut. _'Just say it, dammit!'_ he yelled at himself. He slowly looked up at the girl again. "I-I just… um…" he stuttered, not looking her in the eye. He sighed. "Just don't drive anyone insane, okay?"

Shader smiled at him weakly. "Okay," she murmured, finally leaving his room.

After she closed the door, Genai groaned and fell back onto his bed. "Why…?" he moaned. "Why can't I just tell her?"

X

Chrono stared out the car window with his head propped up in his palm. Shader glanced over at him worriedly. "Hey," she cooed, touching his shoulder lightly. "Are you okay? I mean—did you get your cheek taken care of?" He nodded, still staring out the window. Shader sighed and flopped back in her seat. She glanced across the miniature aisle of the stretch limo at her aunt, who was fiddling with something on her palm-pilot.

Shader sighed again and looked out the window at the slow moving traffic around them. Then suddenly, something struck her. "Hey," she started, looking back over at Chrono. "Did you ever give Rosette a proper goodbye?"

He sat up straight, but still stared out the window. _'Oh, no,'_ he thought fearfully. "I…" he started slowly, reaching for his cell phone.

"I wouldn't," came his mother's threatening voice. Chrono immediately returned his hand to its previous position without another word.

"It's alright," he said reassuringly to Shader without looking at her. "I already told her."

"Yeah…right…" whispered Shader sadly.

X

The next morning, Rosette stood in her kitchen, twiddling the phone cord between her fingers, trying to get a hold of Chrono. "Come on…" she muttered. "Where are you?" And once again, the annoying voice of the operator came on and told her that the number she was trying to reach was out of her area code. "Dammit!" cried Rosette, completely frustrated as she slammed the phone back down into its cradle. After a moment, she sighed and tried dialing his home phone.

"_Hello?"_ came Maggie's voice from the other end.

"Um…H-hello Miss Dillion," squeaked Rosette. She heard the other girl laughing at her.

"_Hi, Rosette,"_ she giggled. _"What's with the formalities?"_

Rosette shrugged and then realized that Maggie couldn't see her. "I guess I'm not quite awake yet," she said instead.

Maggie laughed at her again and asked _"what's up?"_

Rosette cleared her throat and straightened up. "I-I was just wondering where Chrono was, and—"

"_He didn't tell you?"_ asked the other girl, interrupting her.

"Tell me what?" asked Rosette suspiciously.

"_He left,"_ came Maggie's surprised voice._ "He left last night. I thought he called you, though."_

Rosette lowered the phone a moment and stared at it. _'Why? Why wouldn't he tell me?'_

"_Rosette? You still there?"_

Rosette shook her head and moved the phone up to her ear again. "Yeah," she sighed. "I just remembered that he called me last night—I can't believe I forgot!" she chirped with a fake laugh. "Thanks Maggie. Bye!" She carefully placed the phone on the hook and stared at it a moment.

"Oh, Roseeeetteeeee!" chirped Joshua, poking out from the stove. "Your breakfast is ready!"

Rosette looked over at him blankly. "Okay," she whispered, walking over to the table and sitting down.

Joshua was laughing evilly as he came over to her with a plate behind his back. "Bum-ba-da-dum!" he cheered as he revealed the platter.

Rosette smiled at him warily. "You put candles in the muffin?" she asked with a small laugh.

"Yep!" he chirped, sitting down next to her. "Come on, come on! Blow them out!"

Rosette smiled sadly and took a deep breath. _'Make a wish…'_ she thought miserably. With that, she lightly blew out the several candles that were sticking out of her muffin.

X

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In the Life of a Rock Star

Chapter 18 (part 3): Happy Birthday, Rosette

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Aion: Aren't you going to say something?

Me: SHH! You're ruining the effect!


	22. Chapter 19

Me: Brains…!

Fiore: What?

Me: Brains…!

Fiore: Why do you want brains? I thought you were happy being stupid?

Me: (grr—ahem!) Brains!

Fiore: WHAT IS WITH BRAINS?-!

Chrono: Look at the chapter title.

Fiore: …Oi.

Me: Heh heh…Brains!

(Quick little note: I didn't get a chance to proofread this, 'cuz I'm going back to school in, like, two minutes. And I wanted to get this up ASAP. So, sorry for bad grammar and such, I'll fix it later. ENJOY :) )

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"_It's cute." stated Joshua, trying not to laugh all out at his sister._

"_I don't do cute." hissed Rosette, fiddling with the many frills of her skirt. "I look like something out of one of your CLAMP comics." She groaned, trying to push the fluff down; it sprang up as soon as her hands were out of the way. "Besides, I don't even want to work at this place."_

"_It'd be good for you," said Joshua, suddenly sounding less amused by Rosette's outfit. "It'll help keep your mind off of—"_

"_Don't say it," whispered Rosette quickly, closing her eyes. "Just don't say it, okay?"_

"_Fine," sighed Joshua, "but think of it this way—now WE can have matching uniforms! Just like when mom and dad would dress us up for Halloween!" he chirped. Rosette gave him a not-too-kind glare, making him wish that he hadn't said anything._

"_You know," sighed Rosette after a little while. "Who cares about the musty old past, anyway?" She glanced over at Joshua and grinned wickedly. Before he could do anything, Rosette caught him around the neck and gave him a noogie—a nice one, though. "I'll take the job _and_ have a matching costume with you, but _only_," she hissed, leaning down into his face, "if you promise not to mention you-know-who unless _I_ start talkin' about him first."_

_Joshua blinked at his sister and then showed her a grin even more evil than her own. "You-know-who, eh?" he asked wickedly. "Oh no!" he cheered all of a sudden. "It's Voldemort, it's Voldemort! Everybody run!" he glanced over at Rosette to see that she was completely dumbstruck; so he started laughing at her._

"_Why…you…" grumbled Rosette, snapping out of her little daze. "That's not funny!" she screeched, giving him a real noogie._

"_OWOWOWOWOW!" cried the boy, flailing his arms. "Can't you take a joke?"_

"_Only when it's funny!" she shrieked grinding her knuckles into his skull even harder._

"_OWOWOW!"_

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In the Life of a Rock Star

Chapter 20: 28 days later

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Rosette sighed; it seemed like it was just yesterday that she had beat up Joshua for getting her this job, but it had already been almost a month. _'Time flies when you're working for less than minimum wage.'_ She thought sadly. She sighed again and stood up; her lunch break was over. She walked over to the back counter to grab her little notepad and pen.

"Hey, Rosette," called a girl, coming out from the changing room in her mega-fluffy waitress outfit.

"Oh, hi Hime." said Rosette without much thought. The girl had never worked here before, but so many students were hired and then just quit so fast and so often that Rosette just stopped caring who her coworkers were.

"Isn't this just the cutest uniform ever?" squeaked the girl with big smile. Rosette nodded with apathy, turning to go back out into the main eating area. "I was just saying that," continued the girl, hopping after Rosette. "'Cuz you know, if that special someone saw us in these adorable clothes, I'm sure they'd say—"

"What the hell are you wearing?" came the gritty voice of Mr. Palm-Tree hair boy as he and his gang entered the café.

"—How sweet we look in them." finished the girl. After a second, she slowly turned to the boy and gave him a strained smile. "Why what ever do you mean?" she asked, trying to sound calm.

"I mean," smirked the boy, "why the hell are you wearing such a fruity getup?"

The girl clenched her fist, but still smiled, though, it was getting rather creepy at this point. "I know you don't mean that." She said sweetly.

"Oh, but I do."

Not two seconds later, the boy was tackled to floor and put into a headlock by Hime. "You're not allowed to say that!" she shrieked, bending his arms in directions that they shouldn't bend.

"And why not?" he cried through gritted teeth.

"'Cuz—" she let go of him only to wrap her arms around him tightly. "That's just mean to say to your girlfriend!"

"And just when exactly did you become my girlfriend?" he hissed menacingly.

"When I stole your journal and have the opportunity to blackmail you with it." She whispered back with an evil grin.

"Are you _ever_ gonna give that back?"

"Not on your life."

………

"So then can you at least get the hell off of me?" he screamed after a minute.

"But I don't wanna!" cried Hime, clinging to the boy even more. "Envy, why are you so mean to me?"

"Aren't you guys gonna help me?" cried Envy, looking up to his gang and ignoring the girl. But no luck; they just laughed at him and went to go find table. Envy groaned and began to wriggle within the girl's grasp, trying but failing to escape.

"Ya'know what'd be _really_ cute?" chirped Hime suddenly, tightening her hug. "What if you braided your hair just like Chrono's?"

"Get 'er off me!"

"Okay," said Rosette, clapping her hands together. "You've got tables to wait, Hime." She said, pulling the girl away from the helpless Envy. As soon as she was off of him, the boy swiftly ran away to yell at his gang for leaving him behind.

"Ah," sighed Hime sadly, "we hardly ever see each other…"

"So why don't you go over there and get his order?" asked Rosette tiredly.

"Ooh!" squealed the girl. "That's a great idea!" With that, she skipped away to go annoy the boy even more.

"That must've been hard." said a voice from behind Rosette. She sighed and turned around, smiling at her brother. "I mean," continued Joshua, "everything was going so well until she mentioned—"

"I though we agreed not to talk about this?" snapped Rosette.

"Oh no!" squeaked Joshua. "It's Voldemort, it's Voldemort!" he sang childishly.

Rosette smacked him with her notepad. "Quit it," she hissed. "Why are you even here?" she asked as she headed over to one of the tables.

"What," said Joshua after Rosette had finished taking the person's order. "Can't I check up on my one and only sister?"

"What about Neesan and Imoto?" asked Rosette.

Joshua shrugged. "Fiore and Azzy are having a girls-only-day. They went out shopping or something."

"So why didn't you go with them?"

"Well—hey! Are you trying to say that I act like a girl?" pouted Joshua, stomping after Rosette as she place the order slip on the back counter.

"y-a-o-i, Joshua, y-a-o-i." She stated simply.

"You're making fun of me, aren't you?" he asked hotly.

Rosette just smiled innocently. "So what's the real reason you came here?"

"I'll tell you if you tell me what 'y-a-o-i' means." Rosette twiddled her thumbs a moment, looking away. "Fine," he grumbled, "don't tell me."

"Why are you here?" asked Rosette again after she took another order.

"Oh yeah, I came to talk to Envy."

"Envy?" asked Rosette. "Whaddya need to talk to him for?"

Joshua grinned evilly and said "it's a secret!" before hopping off to find the other boy.

"y-a-o-i," sighed Rosette, shaking her head.

X

"I'm home!" called Rosette later that night; no one answered. She figured that Joshua was still doing his secret thing and Satella was still arguing with her agent. She sighed and picked up the mail from the little table by the door and started flipping through it. "Bill…junk…bill…ad…" she mumbled. Before too long, she flipped back to the first thing she had looked at. She sighed and tossed the letters aside, going into the kitchen. _'Why did I think it would be there?'_ she asked herself as she opened the refrigerator. _'It's been almost a month, why should he start sending stuff now?'_ She took a pudding cup out and shut the door. She shuffled over to the living room and flopped down in a chair.

"Snail-mail?" she asked as she tore off the lid of her pudding. "E-mail?" she licked the pudding from the aluminum. "Hell," she snorted, "I don't care what Satella would do," she looked up at the ceiling. "Just what the hell happened to you, Chrono!" she screamed.

After a moment, she sighed and let her arms fall back down to her sides. "What happened…?" she whispered.

X

"Mein liebes kind!" called Satella, finally getting in well after midnight. She walked into the living room and saw that Rosette was curled up in one of the chairs, an empty pudding cup in her hand. "Sleeping in ze dark," mumbled the guardian, taking away the plastic cup. "Double chocolate, eh?" she mumbled, examining the cup. "Oh, Rosette," she sighed, pushing a few hairs out of the girl's face. "You only eat zese vhen you're sad, don't you." She looked back at the cup and stopped. "It's…expired…?" she looked back down at Rosette. "Is she still alive?" But before she could poke the girl to make sure she was still a part of the living, she heard the front door open and someone sneak in. "I can hear you." She called.

"Ah…" whined Joshua poking his head into the room. "Sorry I'm so late, Satella."

"Vhere vere you?" she asked walking into the kitchen to throw the plastic cup away.

"Um…Do you really need to know?" asked Joshua quietly.

Satella came out of the kitchen and waltzed up to the boy. She grabbed his arms and examined them, then she took hold of his shirt and gave it a big whiff. After that, she got up into his face and said "breathe out." Joshua rolled his eyes and did so. "Ack!" choked Satella, taking a few steps back. "You need some breath mints!" she coughed.

"I wasn't doing drugs!" sighed the boy.

"And apparently you haven't been brushing your teeth, either! Ew!"

"If you must know, I was with Fiore—and not like that!" he cried, totally flustered when Satella gave him a suspicious look. "I was—I don't want to talk about it, okay?"

"If I call your girlfriend, vill _she_ tell me vhat you vere doing?"

"Yeah, she will." He glanced over to a chair and saw his sister. "What's Rosette doing sleeping down here?"

Satella shrugged. "I came home and found her like zat."

"Hey, Rosette," whispered Joshua, nudging her a little. "Why don't you go sleep upstairs?"

"Nn…?" Rosette slowly opened one eye. "What time is it?" she mumbled.

"Time for you to go to bed!" declared the boy with a goofy grin. He pulled Rosette up out of the chair and helped her upstairs. He laid her down on her bed and pulled the covers up over her. "Don't wake up late for school because of this, okay?" he asked, crouching down next to her bed.

"…He didn't write today…" whispered Rosette softly.

Joshua smiled gently and brushed a few loose strands of hair away from her eyes. "It'll come tomorrow, I promise." He kissed her forehead and stood up. "Goodnight, Sis."

"…'night." She whispered back.

"I'm guessing zat ze pudding didn't kill her?" asked Satella as Joshua softly closed the door to Rosette's room.

"She'll be fine, but…" he closed his eyes and leaned against the door. "I'm not sure I'll still be able to say that if she doesn't hear from him soon."

Satella sighed heavily, making Joshua look over at her. "I suppose tomorrow von't be any easier, zen."

"Whaddya mean?"

Satella hesitantly looked down at the boy. "I'm leaving, too." She said sadly. "I just can't stay any longer, or I'll be out of a job."

"Oh…" Joshua looked away. "Well, can you at least stay long enough to say goodbye to Rosette?"

"…Of course," she said smiling. "Now," she flopped a hand down on Joshua's head and ruffled his hair a bit. "_You_ need to get to bed, too—I'm not going to vake you up tomorrow!"

"I'm goin', I'm goin'!" chirped the boy, laughing as he stumbled into his room.

X

Beep! Beep! Beep!

"Ugh…" moaned Joshua, reaching for his alarm clock the next morning. "Shut up…" he mumbled, burying his face in his pillow as he pressed the snooze button.

"Get up!" called a voice from downstairs.

The boy immediately popped out from under his blankets and zipped downstairs. "Rosette?" in asked in pure disbelief as he entered the kitchen.

"The one and only," she chirped as she carried a frying pan over to the table.

"Why are you up so early?"

"Before I tell you that," she started, turning to the boy seriously. "Would you care to explain why Fiore called a little while ago asking if you were alright?"

"Uh…" he took a step backwards and stumbled into someone behind. He jumped and flipped around. "Satella?" he asked, staring up at the red-bed-head.

"Eh…?" she mumbled, shuffling into the kitchen. "Guten tag, mein liebes kind."

"Good morning, Satella." chirped Rosette, setting a plate down in front of her. "How come you're up so early?" The model stared down at her plate silently. "What's wrong?" asked Rosette.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

"For what?"

"Bacon and eggs—my favorite!" she squealed, smiling up at the other girl and giving her a great big hug. "But I suppose this is for Joshua, instead?" she pouted, looking over at the boy to see him making a face over the bacon; 'No way!' he mouthed with disgust. Satella laughed and looked back up at Rosette.

"Nope," she said simply, walking back over to the stove. "I have something better for him."

"Ick," choked the older girl, "vhat iz zat smell?" she coughed.

"Cabbage," huffed Rosette. At that, Joshua's face lit up and he flew over to his sister.

"You didn't!" he squeaked in disbelief. Rosette showed him the contents of another frying pan and the boy went crazy. "You did, you did!" he cheered happily, hugging his sister like there was no tomorrow. "Okonomiyaki!" he cooed. He stopped suddenly, having just realized something. "Why are you being so nice?" he asked suspiciously.

That earned him a hot frying pan to his head as Rosette flopped it down heavily. "I'm _always_ nice, stupid." She huffed.

"Okay, fine," pouted the boy. "Why are you being _extra_ nice?"

"That's better," said Rosette, removing the pan from his head. "And I dunno, I just felt like it, I guess."

"Mmhm," nodded Joshua, digging around the silverware drawer for his chopsticks. "And I suppose you just felt like waking up early too?"

"Watch it," snapped Rosette, sitting down with Satella at the table. She looked over at her guardian and smiled. "How's it taste?"

Satella jumped a little at the question, but smiled back nevertheless. "Oh, it's delicious!" she chirped. She looked back down at her food sadly, and after a moment said "Rosette?"

"You don't have to say it," she whispered quietly. "I heard you last night outside my door."

"You…did…?" she asked slowly. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry that you had to hear it that way."

"No worries!" chirped Rosette. "It just saves us the trouble of having to go through it again now."

Satella sighed and then pulled Rosette into her arms. "You are too nice." She breathed as Rosette hugged her back. But unfortunately, their sweet moment didn't last long.

"AIEE!" cried Joshua. "We're gonna be late again!"

"You still need to get dressed!" squeaked Rosette, dashing over to the sink and dropping her dishes in it.

Satella smiled to herself as she watched the two scurrying about the apartment, trying to get ready. And when they finally got to the front door, she hugged them both and told them "I'll be back soon."

"No way!" protested Rosette. "You need to go back and start working so we don't have to pay rent on this place!"

"Ooh," started Satella, ruffling her hair a little. "Then go to school so I can get on my plane!"

"We're goin'!" pouted Rosette, hopping down the steps and waving goodbye.

X

"Sheesh," she mumbled when she and Joshua made it to the bus stop. "I can't believe Satella's leaving, too."

"Wh…whaddya mean…?" asked Joshua, still panting for breath.

Rosette sighed and shook her head. "It's nothing." She muttered, turning away just as the bus pulled up. "Just promise that you won't ever leave me."

Joshua smiled at her, pushing her onto the bus. "Now why would I ever do that?" he asked, laughing.

"Just promise," she pouted, looking for a seat.

"Okay," he sighed, grabbing a poll as the bus started moving again. "I won't."

"Promise,"

"I promise," he said with a little cough.

"Tell me you don't have another fever." sighed Rosette patting his back.

"Just because I cough, doesn't mean I'm sick," he choked out between coughs. He slapped his chest and with one big hack, cleared his throat. "Better," he whimpered.

"Hitting yourself isn't the answer," scolded Rosette.

"Well it works," pouted the boy, blowing out his cheeks.

Rosette rolled her eyes and flicked him upside the head. "You're hopeless," she sighed. Joshua just smiled guiltily.

X

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Joshua: And once again, a thoroughly lousy ending.

Me: Some may call it stupid, but I call it foreshadowing.

Remington: And I call it bad grammar.

Me: Why is everyone against me?

Rosette: Because we hate you.

Me: Oh, okay then.

Joshua: (Leans over to Rosette) She didn't seem very fazed by that.

Rosette: That's because she's used to people hating her.

Joshua: Uh HUH. Then it's time for reverse psychology! Hey authoress!

Me: What?

Joshua: I love you!

Me: (squeal!)(Jumps onto Joshua with big hug)

Joshua: AAH! Get 'er off, get 'er off!

Rosette: Perhaps I failed to mention that you're one of her favorite bishies?

Joshua: BISHIE?-! I'm just sickly!

Me: (squeal!)

Joshua: Neesan—help!

Fiore: I suggest that everyone stand back.

Joshua: Eep.

Fiore: (blow-torches the authoress…and Joshua)

Joshua: (cough) Thanks.

Me: Owie…


	23. Chapter 20

(First thing's first! If any of you anonymous reviewers (meaning you don't have a fan fiction account) give me a request or something, like an idea for ITLOARS or request for me to write something like a Chrno Crusade/ DNAngel crossover, please give me your e-mail address. It would be much appreciated. When people suggest stuff, I like to talk to them about it…or something.)

—Just a request from a humble authoress.

* * *

Me: And now for the soap opera chapter!

Chrono: What makes is soap opera-ish?

Me: It's very fast paced and makes (probably) no sense.

Chrono: You're just lazy.

Me: Quiet, yous! (SMACK!)

Chrono: Owie.

Me: And now—_Like the cleaning of a house: It Never Ends._

Chrono: Just get on with it!

Me: Fine.

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"_Ahh!"_

"_What? What is it?" asked Shader, coming into Chrono's room._

"_I'm an idiot!" he cried, drooping down beside his bed._

"…_Why?" asked Shader hesitantly, utterly confused._

"_I don't know her home phone number…" he sobbed pathetically. "Or her e-mail, or her address…"_

"_YOU WHAT?" shrieked Shader, dropping her suitcase. "Why didn't you do something sooner?"_

"_I forgot…"_

_Instead of screaming at the poor boy, she sighed and shook her head. "…I don't either."_

"_I am so dead…"_

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In the Life of a Rock Star

Chapter 20: _28 joures ultérieur_

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"I still can't believe you never bothered to ask her any of that vital information." scolded Shader, twirling her spoon in her milk-filled cereal bowl.

"Quit reminding me…" whined Chrono, not even bothering to eat breakfast; he just sat there with his forehead pressed against the table. "It's not my fault that it slipped my mind!"

"And I suppose it's not your fault that you don't know Maggie's or anybody else's number or such either, is it?" asked the girl with a sick sense of amusement.

Chrono shot her an icy glare and blew out his cheeks. "It's been almost a month," he huffed. After a moment, he sighed. "I bet she's already found a new boyfriend, anyway." he groaned.

"Bonjojur, mon fil!" cheered Ms. du Monium as she entered the kitchen. "Como se va?"

"Go to hell, woman." pouted Chrono, slumping back in his chair.

His mother crossed her arms and narrowed her gaze. "What have I told you about speaking like that?"

"I don't care," muttered Chrono.

"Get it through your thick head: you're in France now, not America." she huffed.

"And it's all thanks to you." drawled the boy.

"Why," sighed the woman, "do you have to do this every single morning?"

Chrono slapped his hands down onto the table and stood up quickly. "Because you ruined my life!" With that, he stomped out of the room.

"I don't get it." Sighed Ms. du Monium as she sat down at the table. "What happened to my sweet little boy?"

"Maybe," started Shader, finally putting down her spoon. "He'd be more compliant if you treated him with a little more respect."

"Are you kidding?" screeched the woman. "With all the privileges and freedoms I give that boy, he could be a spoiled brat!"

"You just don't get it," sighed Shader. "He doesn't care about the money or fame, or any of that. He just wants to see—"

"Bah," huffed du Monium, "with his status he could easily get another girlfriend."

Shader sighed and stood up, taking her cereal bowl over to the counter. "You're just awful." She muttered.

X

"Chrono?" called Shader as she knocked on his door lightly. "Can I come in?"

"Whatever," he mumbled, sprawled out on his bed.

"Look," she soothed, "moping around like this all the time won't get you anywhere. Why don't you try coming up with a plan or something to get back home?"

"What's the point?" he moaned, covering his face. "She probably got over me a long time ago. I'm sure Ed swooped in right in after I left."

_SLAP!_

Chrono sat up quickly, holding his cheek carefully. "What'd you do that for?" he yelled.

"I hope," choked Shader, forcing back tears. "I hope Rosette _has_ found someone else. Because if I were her, I would rather move on than wait for someone who isn't even trying to come back." After she gave Chrono a disgusted look, Shader stormed out of his room.

"It…" whispered Chrono after he was sure his cousin couldn't hear him. "It's not my fault…"

X

"Chrono," said his mother, pacing about her room. "I know… That you miss your little whore, so—that's no good!" she muttered, frustrated. "Okay," she cleared her throat. "Since your band's sales have all time lows…no…" she stopped pacing and glared at her reflection in her tall mirror. "Maggie called and she—arghhh!" she sighed and flopped down on front of her vanity set. "How am I supposed to do this…?"

"Madam?" came a voice from the doorway. "Your two o'clock appointment is here."

"Oh," sighed the woman. "Thank you; tell them I'll be down shortly."

"Yes, Madam,"

She sighed and looked back at her mirror once more as the maid left. She spotted her favorite little framed picture. She picked it up and smiled sadly. "What happened to us, sweetheart?" she asked the little boy in his mother's arms that smiled up at her.

X

"I can't take it anymore…" muttered Chrono, still lounging on his bed. "I can't doing nothing all day!" he yelled, falling onto the floor. "Ow… Why can't I go back to New York…?" he sighed.

………

"Wait," he snapped, sitting up abruptly. "Why _can't_ I go back? It's not like there's anything mom can do!" Chrono dashed over to his closet and starting stuffing his clothes into his suitcase; it had been sitting there for practically a month now. "I _am _an idiot!" he hissed at himself. "Why didn't I think of this sooner?"

"Because you have no money to pay for air-fare?" asked a voice from his doorway. Chrono whipped around to see Shader, sighing and shaking her head. "You're so thick-headed," she began tiredly. "Sometimes I think you might try to _swim_ back."

"What're you—" shouted Chrono, but before finishing, he realized he _didn't_ have any money; his mom had taken away all his credit cards. "I'm an idiot!" he groaned, falling to the floor pathetically.

"I know." said Shader simply. After a moment she sighed and smiled hopelessly. "You know…you may not have the cash for public transportation, but I'm sure you can sill use one of your _many, many_ jets."

Chrono stared at her stupidly for a second before rushing over to her and nearly crushing her in his arms. "I swear, Charlene, if you weren't my cousin—I'd kiss you!" he cried gratefully.

"And I swear that if you didn't have a girlfriend—I'd kill you!" she laughed back, slightly irritated.

Chrono laughed nervously, scooting towards the door. "But really," he cooed anxiously. "We'd better get going before my mom gets out of her meeting."

"I'm not going."

Chrono stopped completely and turned around. "Wha…?" he asked slowly. "Why not?"

"Well—_someone_ has to keep Auntie busy while you make your getaway!" she said grinning.

Chrono thought about this for a minute and then smiled. "Okay, but promise you'll follow soon."

"No worries," beamed the girl nonchalantly. "I'll be there in a day—a week tops! Now go!" she ordered, pushing the boy out the door. "Go be all lovey-dovey with Rosette!"

"Okay, okay," he laughed, grabbing his suitcase. "I'm goin'! And thanks, I couldn't ask for a better cousin." He said warmly.

"…" Shader frowned for a second and then huffed at him. "You're making me all warm and fuzzy—it's sickening." She hissed. "So get going!"

"_Oui, oui_."

Shader rolled her eyes and shut the door. "Just hurry…" she whispered.

X

(A really long ten hours later…)

"Finally…" moaned Chrono, walking out of the airport. "That was a _really_ uncomfortable seat." He looked around. "Now… which way to the apartment?"

X

"Hello?" asked Rizelle, opening the front door. "…Chrono? I didn't think I'd see you again…ever."

"Ha, ha, very funny," droned the boy, walking in. "Did you really think I'd stay with my mother for the rest of my life?"

"Well…you are a mama's boy."

"I'm a what now?" he growled dropping his luggage noisily. The loud thud attracted the attention of the other boys.

"Whoa…you're actually back?" asked Viede in shock. "Didn't see that one coming."

"Why do you guys think so little of me?" grumbled Chrono.

"Hey," asked Genai quietly. "Wh…Where's Shader?"

"Hmm?" Chrono blinked at the unexpected question. "She stayed behind." He said simply, forgetting to explain why.

Genai sighed and turned to walk away. "Whatever," he mumbled as he left the others.

"Hey," chimed Aion with a big smile. "Glad you're back—how 'bout I fill you in on some of the stuff you've missed?"

"Sure," chirped Chrono, following his friend into the other room.

"Since when has Aion been so helpful?" asked Rizelle curiously.

"I dunno…" replied Viede, just as absent mindedly.

………

"Wanna go on a date?"

"For the last time—NO!" shrieked Rizelle frustrated.

"Ah, come on!" called Viede after the fuming girl.

"NO!"

X

"In Michigan?" cried Chrono. "Whaddya mean she's in Michigan?"

"Just like I said," retorted Aion. "It's our spring break and she and her brother went up to Michigan to visit their grandparents, or somethin'."

"B-but—!" stuttered Chrono. "That's just not fair!" he whimpered.

"Life's never fair. Oh yeah! Oh—wait, maybe you don't wanna hear about that…" muttered Aion, trying to pique Chrono's interest.

"What?" pressed the boy, dying to know what else he'd missed.

"Nah, you don't wanna know about _that_." tempted Aion.

"What, WHAT?" he asked, practically jumping in his seat.

"Are you sure you wanna kno—"

"YES!" he cried desperately.

"Alright," sighed Aion. "You're little girlfriend wasn't been exactly…_faithful_."

"…Wh-whaddya mean?" asked Chrono slowly.

"Another week, another boy; I think her last victim was that Valerie guy."

"…Y-you've gotta be mistaken." whispered Chrono frantically.

"No," cooed Aion, a small smirk on his face. "I'm pretty sure that when a girl starts sucking face with a guy between every class period, it means they're going out…or somethin'."

"But…" murmured the boy miserably, "she promised she'd…"

"She'd what?" demanded Aion. "Face it, man. Your girlfriend's lost interest in you!" Chrono just sat there, staring wide-eyed at the floor and shaking his head. Aion sighed and showed his friend a gentle smile. "Look, why don't you just go get some sleep and think things through? It'll hurt less tomorrow." Chrono nodded and stood up, shuffling over to the stairs. As soon as he heard the boy's door shut, Aion whipped out his cell phone begun to dial long-distance. "Hey, Pan?" he asked the person on the other end.

X

"Shader!" called a very ticked du Monium.

"Yes, Auntie?" chirped the girl anxiously as she hopped over to meet the woman.

"When you told me that Chrono was spending the day at a friend's house," she began with a scowl. "You failed to mention that his friend was in New York City!"

Shader flinched at the scolding, but quickly recovered. She stood up straight and planted her feet on the marble floor. "So what?" she exclaimed. "He has the right to go back—you're the one who can't keep him here forever!"

"I wasn't!"

"Huh?" blinked Shader, totally taken aback.

"I was going to tell him that I would allow him to back soon, but since he just decided to up and leave—"

"You wouldn't!" screamed Shader, once again riled at the woman.

"He's at least coming back to explain his actions!"

"It wasn't his fault! _I_ was the one who found him a way to return!"

"Then you'll come and help me retrieve him," sneered the woman.

X

"Hey," cooed a sweet voice through the haze of the boy's dream. "Get up; I told you I'd come in a day! And, eh heh… we've got a surprise for you…!"

Genai's eyes shot open when he realized that he could hear Shader's distinct voice from down the hall. He hastily threw away his bed sheets and dashed over to his door. He peered out into the hall just in time to hear an extremely loud scream from Chrono.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?" Genai heard him demand.

'_Duh!'_ droned the boy in his head. _'She came back following _you_—why wouldn't she?'_ he asked himself, a tiny smile spreading across his lips.

"Why do you think?" he heard a second angry voice; his smile quickly faded. "You're coming back with us this instant!"

"Can't I even get dressed first?"

"Just hurry!"

Genai ducked back into his room for a second as Chrono's mother came storming out of the room and down the stairs. He peeked out again when he heard another person come out. "Shader!" he hissed, seeing the girl.

She flinched at his hushed call and looked over at him. "Why are you hiding?" she asked in a normal speaking voice.

"Uhm…" Genai rubbed his head and finally stepped out of his room. "Well, I…" he closed his eyes and laughed a little after a moment of silence. "I-it's nice, what I mean is—welcome back." He breathed, smiling warmly at her.

"I'm not staying." She replied plainly. "I got here a few minutes ago, and I'm leaving in a few minutes." Genai just stared at her, making Shader very uncomfortable. "And," she said, blushing slightly. "You might wanna put a shirt on." She pointed at him and Genai looked down; realizing that all he had on as a pair of sweatpants.

"Ah!" he squeaked, wrapping his arms around his chest protectively. "Th-I-um-why didn't you say something sooner?"

Shader shrugged. "Slipped my mind, I guess." With that, she headed downstairs without another word to the boy; he was left standing there without so much as a goodbye.

X

"Hurry up, Chrono!" shouted his mother from the bottom of the steps. "We might miss our flight!"

"I thought it was another private jet?" he called back.

"Not the point!" she yelled, irritated.

Chrono sighed, dropping his suitcase over the banister of the staircase. "I don't get it," he huffed, glaring at his mother. "How'd you know I came back here?"

Pan glanced over at Shader and then back at her son. "Well," she started carefully, "where else could you have gone for over twelve hours?"

"Point…taken…" he sighed, coming all the way downstairs.

Shader gave Ms. du Monium a quick smile; she smiled back. "I wouldn't tattle on you," she mouthed silently.

"So…" groaned Aion sleepily, coming out into the hall with them. "Going back so soon…?" he yawned. Chrono nodded gloomily, not facing the other boy. "Ah well, you win some, 'ya lose some."

"Hey," whispered Chrono as he passed Aion, "it still hurts." With that, he left with Shader and his mother.

After they were gone, Aion laughed quietly, smirking maliciously at the door. "Sucker," he muttered.

X

"Hey, wanna go out?" asked Joshua as he came into the kitchen.

"I'd rather stay in…" said Rosette sadly, batting an apple slice across her plate.

"But, Rosette," whined the boy, sitting down at the table. "Spring break is all about going out and having fun!"

"Do we have enough money to go spend the week in France?"

"No,"

"Then I'm staying in."

X

X

X

Me: And now, just like as soap opera—it's been canceled!

Others: WHAT?-!

Chrono: But soap operas NEVER end!

Me: Exactly; the story's going on hold for a while.

Rosette: Why?

Me: 'Cuz it's the end of the school year and I've got too much homework, so I can't keep writing.

Chrono: That's never stopped you before.

Me: (ignoring Chrono) So if even one person says 'update soon', I'll—(get a good grade on all my tests and quizzes)—! WHAT? Who censored me?

Azzy: (suspicious whistling)

Me: Why you… (ahem!) Anyway, I'll _try_ to write, but I WILL be gone for a while.

Joshua: Woohoo—vacation!

Fiore: Let's start a countdown!

Me: Why?

Fiore: So we know when we should start plotting to kill you! Only eight more weeks!

Me: Anon.


	24. Chapter 21 Part 1

Me: AHHHHHHHHHHH!

Chrono: WHAT?

Me: It's just not fair…

Chrono: What?

Me: This chapter's too flipping long…

Chrono: Ugh… you're gonna split it up again, aren't you?

Me: (nods) It really IS too long. It's over 30 pages right now, and I haven't even written in HALF of what I wanted to.

Chrono: (stares) WHAT? That IS too flipping long!-! WHY is it so long?

Me: Because it's the flashback chapter, and I only wanted to spend a _one_ chapter on it.

Chrono: …what do you mean 'flashback' chapter?

Me: I mean like—(ahem) "Hi, I'm Cwistofaa, I'm fwee yeaws owld and I wuv teddy beaws."

Chrono: I hate you.

Me: (squeal!)

Chrono: But this _would_ explain why you took so long to write it, wouldn't it?

Me: Yes, and I apologize for the extended wait. But I AM on summer break now, so I'll (hopefully) get a ton of writing done now.

Chrono: Hmm… I'm reading what you've got so far, and there seems to be an awful lot of, how should I put this, 'hints'.

Me: Heh heh… Yeah, watch for those, like "it's not like they're ever gonna go to New York" or, "when are they ever gonna start a band?" Those are the kinda things that are gonna come back, even if it's just the painfully obvious ones.

(Here's a friendly note to all of you incase you forgot: Christopher, Charlene, Gene, Rimona, Vincent, and Anton are Chrono, Shader, Genai, Rizelle, Viede, and Aion respectively.)

X

X

X

"Home sweet home," mumbled Chrono as he dropped his suitcase down on the sparkly marble floor of his mother's mansion.

"You used to love this place." stated du Monium, walking in behind him.

"Mom," groaned Chrono, rolling his eyes. "That was soo long ago!"

"And that was a reeeally long plane ride," whined Shader, staggering in after them. "So if ya'll don't mind, I'm goin' to bed."

"Me too," yawned Chrono, shuffling after his cousin up the stairs.

Ms. du Monium sighed and smiled. _'I never could keep those two apart.'_ She thought nostalgically.

X

X

X

In the Life of a Rock Star

Chapter 21 (part 1): That sweet little boy

X

X

X (begin flashback!)

—Autumn, France, ten years ago

"Mommy!" called the little boy, squeezing through the giant doors of the mansion and running into his mother's arms. "Mommy, Mommy, I'm here!" he cheered, hugging her tightly.

"Yes, I see. I'm so glad your plane made it here safely, Christopher." She cooed, pulling him up into her arms.

The boy giggled, squirming in his coddled position. "That's because you wished so hard that I'd come back!"

"That's right," she breathed, smiling warmly at her son. "And do you know what tomorrow is?"

"Umm…" he scrunched up his face and did an adorable little pout. "No," he chirped, shaking his head quickly.

"It's your first day of school!"

"Ahh… but Gene says school's boring!"

The woman frowned, finally setting the boy back down to his feet on the floor. "I don't know who this 'Gene' is, but he can't be very smart if he says that school is boring."

"He's not smart!" chirped Christopher, "and that's why Papa says he's failing!"

His mother's expression fell slightly at the mention of his father, so Christopher shook his head and smiled brightly at her. "Don't be sad! Papa's not here and I bet he's real jealous that _he_ doesn't get to go with me for my first day!"

"Oh, sweetheart," sighed the woman. She crouched down beside him and gave him another hug. "Mommy has a meeting tomorrow morning and can't come with you to school."

"Oh…" he frowned slightly but put a smile on before his mom could see. "That's okay, because you'll still be here when I get home!"

Again the woman frowned and looked away nervously. "Yes…" she said slowly. "My meeting should be over by then—in fact, I'm sure it will be!" she smiled at him hopefully, not noticing his sad expression. "Now, why don't you go put your things in your room and I'll call you when dinner's ready?"

"Okay,"

X

Christopher quietly closed the door to his room, he looked around and sighed; it was always the same whenever he came back, like his mom was afraid to have it cleaned when he wasn't around. He dropped his small bag in front of his desk and flopped onto his bed. _'I can't believe she's not coming tomorrow. I mean, would it kill her to miss ONE meeting?'_ he sighed, rolled off his bed and went back downstairs to tell one of the maids to tell his mother that he was going for a walk.

Christopher sighed, still, after several minutes, trotting along side the five-foot tall hedge that acted as a fence around his mother's estate. "Does this thing ever end?" he mumbled. He sighed again, hoping to find an opening in the shrubbery. The reason he was so depressed that his mom wasn't escorting him to school, and the reason he was so excited about school in the first place, even though his only friend was always telling him that it's awful, is because school was his first chance to go somewhere other than his mom's gianormous house in France. Really, he'd never actually been out of the house. "How am I supposed to find the school tomorrow if I can't even find the way out of here?"

SMACK!

Christopher stumbled backwards onto the ground, a giant lump on his head and a bright orange disk lying beside him. "Um…hey!" called a voice shyly from behind the hedges. "Is there anybody over there?"

"Y…yeah…" cried Christopher slowly, trying to stand up, but he quickly lost his balance and fell down again. "Whose back there?" he called, slightly annoyed at whoever was inconsiderate enough to throw an orange—whatever-that-thing-is at him.

"Oh, um…" squeaked the voice nervously. "My mom says not to talk to strangers."

Christopher sighed and hung his head. "You're talking to me right now, you know."

"Oh!" squeaked the person. "I—um—that—err—" Christopher heard the person cough quietly, clearing their throat. "Can you just throw my Frisbee back over and I'll just leave, okay?"

Christopher blinked; confused. "Your _what_?" he demanded loudly.

"My Frisbee!" they squeaked again.

"Who are you?" he shouted again.

"Good grief," he heard the person mutter, and not long after, they were shuffling their way through the hedge until their head popped out from the leaves and two chocolate-eyes stared at him from behind the biggest glasses Christopher had ever seen. "Are you stupid or something?" asked the girl, pushing her way out of the bush. She marched up to Christopher and took hold of the orange disk. "All I asked for was my Frisbee."

"I still don't know hat you're talking about." He huffed, blowing out his cheeks.

The girl slapped her forehead and then waved the disk plainly in front of his face. "Fr-i-s-bee" she enunciated clearly, like he was a little baby.

"Oh, is _that_ what you call that thing?"

The girl groaned and then sighed. "Do you live in a box?" she asked hopelessly.

"Of course not! I live in a house—don't you?" She stared at him for a second, then burst out laughing. "What?" demanded Christopher, cheeks blazing red in front of this complete stranger. "What's so funny?"

"I…I can't believe you just… just…" that was all she could get out before her laughing swallowed up her words again. After a moment, she wiped away tears from her eyes, having finally calmed down. "You're a weird little girl, you know that?"

"I'm not…" started Christopher quietly, staring intently at his feet, cheeks redder than ever. "I'm a boy." He whispered.

The girl stopped dead. Though his whisper was barely audible, there weren't enough noises around them to drown him out. And then after another moment, she broke out laughing. "I'm sorry," she gasped, "it's just… your hair and…"

Christopher balled his fists and turned on his heel. "Take your stupid Frisbee and get out of here!" he yelled, dashing away.

"Ah, hey!" called the girl, starting to trot after him, "Don't go, this is fun!"

She had to stop so fast that it made her fall flat on her behind, her pastel-yellow dress flaring slightly; Christopher had halted and turned around so swiftly that he surprised her. "Fun?" he practically screamed. "Maybe for you, but I don't like being called a girl or being made fun of! I don't even know you so why don't you just go home!"

The girl flinched, stood up, and stared at the ground. "I thought," she squeaked quietly, "I thought you were having fun, too. I thought… maybe you'd want… want to be friends."

Christopher stared at her, unsure of what to do. But when she lifted her head enough for him to see her face, she was crying, which made him freak out. "H-hey, don't start that!"

"You're the closest thing I've ever had to a friend!" she wailed, not caring that they were still complete strangers. "Why doesn't anybody like me?"

"Okay!" cried the poor boy, covering his ears. "I'll be your friend—just stop crying!"

"Really?" she chirped, stopping her howling almost instantly.

"Yes…" groaned Christopher, "but only as long as you stop crying."

"I will, don't worry." She smiled brightly at him. "You won't hear another peep out of me!"

"Hrm…" Christopher looked away and then back at the girl. "By the way, what's your name?"

"Oh…I'm Charlene, Charlene du Monium." She stated proudly.

"Du…No way!" chanted Christopher, finally regaining a bubbly mood. "I've heard Mom mention her sister and her daughter a couple times but I never thought you lived around here!"

"Ah," Charlene blinked and then gave him an identical grin. "You're Christopher, aren't you? This is soo cool! I never knew how close you lived!" Charlene stopped and gave him a good look-over. "You're my cousin, and you don't even know what a Frisbee is? My goodness, boy, how old are you?"

"Six," he stated simply, "my first day of school is tomorrow."

Charlene's features brightened once again. "No way! Me too! Are you going to St. Magdalene Academy, too?" Christopher laughed and nodded. Charlene squealed. "This is great! My first friend, cousin, _and_ we're going to school together! Ooh! And I'll get to meet Aunty tomorrow, too!"

As his cousin started giggling happily, Christopher's expression fell and he looked away. "She's not," he started after a moment. "She's not coming."

"Oh, why not?"

"She's has a meeting or something."

"Then… who's taking you to school?"

"One of the maids I think. Probably—"

"Master Christopher!" called a young voice from the house. "Dinner is ready! Where are you?"

"Oh, Lyra!" chirped Christopher, spinning around. As soon as he called, a pretty young woman with short dark hair came trotting up to him and bowed.

"Dinner is ready, young master, and your mother is waiting."

"Oh, thank you, Lyra. Say, um…" he looked up at her blushing slightly. "Lyra, c-can you go to school with me tomorrow?"

The maid looked down at him curiously. "But, isn't your mother taking you?" Christopher shook his head sadly; Lyra smiled warmly at him. "Well, in that case, I guess you'll just be stuck with me all day." The boy smiled brightly at her, and she did the same. "Oh, pooh," she pouted suddenly. "I had a date with Ho-Ho tomorrow."

"Ho…Ho…?" repeated Charlene slowly. "Uhh…" she stared at Lyra with bugged-out eyes; Lyra laughed at her.

"That's the nickname I gave my boyfriend! Kinda weird, huh? He totally hates it but I still call 'im that anyway!" Lyra laughed maniacally for a moment, leaving the children utterly confused. "But anyway," she sighed after a minute, clearing her throat. "I'm sure he'll understand, I'd love to go with you tomorrow, Christopher." She smirked wickedly. "I just hope Ho-Ho doesn't get jealous!" and again, she laughed.

"She's a real screwball," whispered Charlene, leaning over to Christopher.

"Don't worry, she may seem nutty, but she's cool."

"Ho-Ho!" declared Lyra again.

"But then again…"

"Christopher! Where are you?" called another person from the house. "Your dinner's getting cold!"

"Oh," Lyra turned back to face the house. "Coming Madam!" she turned back to the kids. "Master Christopher, would your friend like to join us?"

X

"Dear," sighed Miss du Monium as Christopher and Charlene were seated at the long dinner table. "Where did you find this…"

"Oh, sorry," cut in Charlene, "I'm your sister May's daughter; Charlene."

Du Monium groaned. "Ah, yes…May Hem du Monium… I heard that she had a child a few years back." She glanced back at the children and smiled nervously. "Oh… don't mind me—I really haven't talked to my sister in years, is all!" she gave an anxious laugh and then started to shovel food into her mouth.

"Aunty's real weird, too…" mumbled Charlene.

"Mommy, Mommy, guess what?" cheered Christopher suddenly.

"What is it dear?"

"Charlene's starting school tomorrow with me!"

"Oh, that's just wonderful, sweetheart. I just I could go with you…"

"It's alright, Lyra going to take me!"

Miss du Monium froze for a second and stared at her son. "I see…" she muttered. She glanced over at Lyra. "Are you alright with this?"

"Yes, ma'am." said Lyra, taking a bow.

"Alright…" she looked back at Charlene. "Dear, I think you should call home as soon as you're done eating and tell your mother that you'll be home in a few minutes; and please, don't mention me or this place."

"Okay, Aunty!" chirped the girl. She gulped down the rest of her food and jumped out of her chair so Lyra could show her to the phone.

"…Hey, Mommy?" asked Christopher after a moment. "How come you don't want Charlene to mention you to her mommy?"

Du Monium sighed and smiled patiently at him. "My sister and I aren't very close, and if she found out that you're _my_ son, I'm sure that she'd forbid your cousin from playing with you again." She smiled warmly down at him. "Understand?"

"Yeah!" he chirped, beaming up at her. "You're the best Mommy in the whole world!"

"I wouldn't say that…"

X

"Bye, bye, Mommy! Good luck at work!" called Christopher the next morning, waving to his mother from the car as Lyra drove towards the front gate.

"Bye, Sweetie, have fun! I want you to tell me all about your day tonight, okay?"

"Okay!"

As the car finally exited the du Monium estate, Christopher pressed his hands and face against the black-tinted windows of the car. _'So this is what _ _France__ is really like…'_ he thought in amazement.

Two people walking down the street caught his attention as he drove by; it was Charlene and her mother. Christopher tried to wave to them, but one, he was going by too fast, and two, the windows were tinted.

When they arrived at the academy a few minutes later, Christopher eagerly hopped out of the car and bounded to the front steps. "Come on, hurry up!" he called to Lyra. A few of the other students gave him strange looks, but they all looked older than him and probably shared the same opinion about school that Gene has; it's horrible.

"Hi, Chris!" chanted a voice from behind him. He turned on his heel and ran over to Charlene, giving her a big hug. "Say…um… what's with that hat?" she asked slowly.

Christopher tugged at the edges of his gigantic bunny-hat. "What's wrong with it? Mommy says it looks good on me."

"Well, it does. It's just that…" she leaned close and whispered "it makes you look like a girl." as secretively as she could.

Christopher took a step backwards. "It does?" he hissed. "But, but—"

"And it's not just that hat," she continued, "your hair is so long that since you braided it…"

"But… Mommy says it makes me look cute…" he sniffled.

"Boys aren't supposed to be cute." She sighed. "They're supposed to be mean and gross and play in the mud."

"Ew, I hate mud!"

Charlene tsk-ed.

Ding Dong…Dong Ding…!

"What's that?" asked Christopher as the other students started filing into the building.

"That means that classes are starting." said Lyra, coming up behind him and placing her hand on his shoulder.

After all the kids in his class were seated in a circle with their parent(s), and the teacher told them to go around the circle and introduce themselves, Christopher still couldn't see why Gene hated school so much. But when it was _his_ turn to stand up and talk, he started to get why his friend disliked it. "Hi, my name is Christopher. I'm six years old and I like teddy bears." The entire class took a collective gasp and leaned back. Within seconds, murmurs began to circulate: "that's a _boy_?" "He likes _teddy bears_?" "What's with his _hair_?" "And that _weird hat_?" Christopher felt his cheeks heat up as the buzzing whispers became louder. He now officially hated school; he wanted to cry. But before he could, Lyra pulled him back into his chair and nudged the next person in the circle, effectively taking the attention away from him.

At recess, none of the other kids, except Charlene, wanted to play with him. But it didn't take long for him to stop caring what the others thought of him; he was having too much fun with his cousin, which worked out nicely for her, too, because no one wanted to play with her because of her enormous glasses.

When the bell rang and everyone went back inside, the teacher handed out thin little booklets that had "ABCs of Fun Time" written across the top in bold, squiggly letters. The teacher asked them, before opening the books, if anyone already knew their ABCs. Charlene's hand shot up right away; hers was the only hand.

"Yes, Miss Charlene, how many letters do you know?" asked the teacher in a baby-voice.

"I know all of them—all 26. A B C D E F G H I…"

"That's enough, thank you." Said the teacher sharply, slightly irritated; Charlene stopped talking immediately. "Now, why don't we all open our books to the first page? This first letter is 'A', like 'ah' and 'ay'. Does anybody know any words that start with A?" Again, Charlene's hand shot up; the teacher groaned. "Yes, Miss Charlene?"

"A as in: arithmetic, agriculture, antibiotics, adjective, aerodynamic, a—"

"That's quite enough." The teacher practically screamed; Charlene fell silent once again. The teacher took a deep breath and cleared her throat. "Now, A is the first letter of the alphabet, al-pha-bet," she pronounced clearly for everyone. "And alphabet also starts with A. A is also a vowel, vo-wel. That means it helps build words. Now, the next letter is B, 'bee'. Does anybody know any words that start with B?" Charlene's hand popped up. "No one?" Charlene waved her hand frantically. "Really? Alright, well book, bo-ook, like the one you all are reading right now starts with B. Now the next letter is C, 'see'. Does anybody know any words that start with C?" Charlene practically jumped out of her seat, flapping her hand back and forth madly; another boy raised his hand slowly. "Oh, yes, Thomas, what's _your_ word?"

"Um…" muttered the boy quietly, "Car?"

"Very good!" chirped the teacher happily. "Another word that starts with C is chalkboard, cha-awk-bo-or-d. That's the big black thing in the front of the room. Now, does anyone know any words that start with D, 'dee'?" Charlene put her hand down and stopped jumping around. Some of the other kids, encouraged by Thomas' answer, starting raising their hands; but Charlene never raised hers again because she was never called on again.

Around four o'clock, the bell rang again and everyone started going home. Christopher waited on the curb for Lyra to pull the car around. Charlene came up and stood beside him, but didn't say anything. He then noticed that her mom had left sometime ago, apologizing to the teacher, saying she had a meeting to get to. Christopher glanced over at his cousin and smiled warmly. "Do you want to come over and play?"

X

"Last one to the cherry tree is caviar!" chanted Charlene, racing out of the black car as it came to a full stop. Christopher quickly bounded out after her, calling "first one there is escargot!" the two of them met each other, laughing madly, and barely inching their way to the tree, wanting neither to be fish nor snail. They continued this until one of them shouted "tag, you're it!" and ran from the other. They soon found their way into the mansion and decided to play hide-and-go-seek; Charlene had to count because she was the only one that knew how.

"What should I count to?"

"A bazillion!"

"No fair! There's no such thing as a bazillion!"

"Then to as high as you can go!"

"But then I'd never get to look for you!"

Christopher gasped. "You're mega-smart, aren't you?"

"You better believe it!" she chirped proudly.

They finally decided on twenty and after he hid, the house was so big and she was so unfamiliar with it, Charlene had to enlist the help of Lyra. But even then they ended up calling him over the intercom and saying that she gave up and he won. It took him a full fifteen minutes to get back the entrance hall. By then, it was time for dinner, and after that, Charlene went home. When their parents asked how their day was, they both said that school was great but refused to go into detail; they talked more about the games they played with their cousin and how great _that_ was.

And that's how it went, every day, they'd go to school and it was hell. Then they'd come back to the manor, play until supper, eat, and then go home. In school, the kindergarten teacher didn't believe in the lettering system, so everyone got either 'check' or 'check plus'. The occasional genius got a 'check plus-plus'. But no matter how many times she got every question/problem right, Charlene would always receive a simple 'check'. Christopher never did terribly well on assignments, but he always got a 'check plus' and a 'good job!' comment. He figured this was because he learned his mother's company pays the majority of the teachers' salaries.

By the time summer rolled around, all the kids were ecstatic, including Christopher and Charlene. But their happiness only lasted a week, because that's when she learned that he was going to back to Japan to live with his father for another year.

"So you're spending the rest of summer there?" she asked sadly, trying to sound casual as she sat on Christopher's bed, swinging her feet back and forth as he stuffed shirts into his tiny suitcase.

"Yep,"

"And you're going to go to first grade there?"

"Second, actually. My dad thinks I'm mega-smart for some reason so he pushed me up a year."

"Ohh…"

"How come?"

"How come what?"

"How come you're interested all of a sudden?"

Charlene blinked at him a moment and then hopped off the bed, balled her fists, and declared "Then it's decided! I want more of a challenge from school so I'm going with you!"

Christopher stared at her. "Why don't you just skip a grade here? Wouldn't it be easier?"

Charlene shook her head roughly, turning a deep maroon. "That's not the point!" she squeaked. "And besides, I hear that Japanese students are pressured a lot more to get good grades."

"But—"

"I'm going and that's final!" with that, she spun on her heel and stomped out of the room.

"O…kay…" muttered the boy as he stared after her.

X

True to her word, the next morning as Christopher and his mother went to the boarding area for his flight, there she was, suitcase and all.

As he stared at her and her two extra, oversized cases, Christopher's first, and only, question was "where did you get the money for a plane ticket on such short notice?" Charlene just smiled at him evilly and took his hand, racing to the gate. "Bye, mom, I love you!" he called back to his mother.

"Be safe, sweetie!" she chimed back, quickly disappearing in the crowd.

Charlene giggled, finally coming to a stop in the boarding line for their plane.

"What's so funny?" asked Christopher curiously, taking a step forward as the line moved up one.

Charlene shook her head. "You and your mom are just so cute together, that's all."

"I'm telling you, we're not in the right line!" shouted a squeaky voice from behind them. Christopher and Charlene turned around to see two small boys tugging at each others arm, yelling back at the other.

"And I'm telling you we are!" cried the brunet boy irritably.

"Why don't you ever listen to me?" screamed the blond. "Why do you always act like I'm nobody?"

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" said the brunet, smirking slightly.

"You stupid—" without warning, the blond pounced on the other boy, tugging on his hair. The brunet retaliated by grabbing the large, X-shaped zipper on the other boy's shirt. "Why did Uncle give _you_ the directions and plane tickets? _I'm_ the more responsible one!"

"Oh, please!" cried the brunet, tearing off the zipper and holding it triumphantly over his head. "You know I have higher grades in school!"

"Because you cheat on every test!"

"Oh, what's this then?" asked the brunet, pulling out a key from his pocket and swinging it back and forth tauntingly in front of the blond's face. "It's the key to Uncle's apartment. Now tell me, if I'm not responsible, then why did Uncle give _me_ the key?"

The blond growled, balling his fists and preparing to attack the brunet again.

"Hey," said Charlene, stepping up to the two. "Where are you two heading?" she asked sweetly, smiling brightly at them.

The blond froze up, but the brunet boy turned bright red and took hold of Charlene's hand. "Wow, you're cute!" he chirped.

" New York," said the other boy flatly, taking hold of the brunet's collar and dragging him back to him. "We're trying to get to New York City, but _this_ idiot here doesn't seem to understand that we're in the wrong line."

"Shut up!" hissed the brunet, slamming his foot down on the other's toes. The blond yelped and bit his lip, holding back tears.

"You're not in the right line," chirped Charlene. "The ten o'clock flight to NYC is in the west terminal; is that which flight you have?"

"Hey, yeah!" squeaked the brunet, smiling broadly at her. He turned back to the other boy and chirped "whaddya know, Roxie? We are in the wrong line!"

"Glad you _finally_ noticed that!" growled the blond menacingly.

"Hey, by the way, what's your name?" asked the burnet, completely ignoring the other boy.

"Oh, I'm Charlene, nice to meet you!"

"Cool! I'm Haley and this is Jesse. But don't tell anybody that!" he whispered secretively. "We're trying to be incognito right now—we have code names!"

Charlene laughed at the two, asking "so what are your super-secret-spy-names?"

Haley grinned and jabbed his thumb against his chest in a showy manner. "I go by So—"

_"Attention, attention,"_ came a loud voice from over the intercom. _"The _ _ten o'clock__ flight to _ _New York City__ is now boarding."_

"Ack—that's our flight, we're gonna miss our flight!" screamed Jesse, tugging Haley away from Charlene.

"Heh, by Charlene!" he called back, still being dragged away by the blond. "Maybe we'll get to see each other again someday! Just remember—we're the twins with attitude!"

"I'm the smarter one!" yelled Jesse.

"Aw, come one!" was the last thing Charlene could hear them say.

She took another step forward in line, giggling at the brothers. After a moment, she looked down at her hand to see that Haley had accidentally given her the X-shaped zipper that he'd torn off Jesse's shirt.

"Hey," said Christopher timidly after a couple of minutes, tugging at Charlene's sleeve. "What just happened? Why were you speaking gibberish to them?"

Charlene stared at him a moment. "Huh?" she asked stupidly. "Whaddya mean gibber—OHH!" she started laughing at Christopher, which made him even more confused. "That wasn't gibberish, silly! It was English! I guess I forgot to mention that I know two different langu—…" she stopped dead, staring wide eyed into space. "I DON'T KNOW JAPANESE!" she shrieked suddenly. "I'm getting on a plane to Japan to spend the summer and an entire school year there—AND I DON'T KNOW JAPANESE!"

Christopher caught his cousin in his tiny arms as she went limp, sobbing away. "Don't worry," cooed the boy sweetly. "We have an entire summer before school starts—Gene and I can teach you."

Charlene sniffled, looking up at him with watery eyes that were magnified by her glasses. "Really?" she asked pathetically. Christopher nodded, still smiling. "Is…is Gene nice? I mean—will he mind teaching me on such short notice? _And_ with limited time?"

"He's a great guy, and I'm sure he'd be willing to help you out."

"Ohh—thank you Chris!" chirped the girl, giving him a big hug.

_"Attention, attention, last call for the _ _ten o'clock__ flight to _ _Osaka_ _Japan__. I repeat, last call for Osaka."_ came the same voice from over the speakers._ "And will the parents of two young boys please come to the help desk?" _

_"Mom!"_ screamed a little boy. _"Help! We got lost going to the west terminal!" _

_"I told you we were going the wrong way!"_ said another voice. _"This is why I'm the smart one!" _

_"Oh, shut up!"_

Right before the intercom clicked off, Charlene and Christopher could hear the two boys going at each other, and go figure; it was Haley and Jesse.

"Do you think they'll ever get on their plane?" asked Charlene, handing her ticket to the stewardess.

"I hope so; they're so annoying I'll be glad if we _never_ see them again. And besides, when are _we_ ever gonna go to New York?"

X

(A/N: And now begins the magical double-language portion of the chapter. Any whole sentences in italics are French, everything else is Japanese. This does NOT apply to thoughts or single words I feel like emphasizing. Anything in parenthesis within a sentence is to explain weird things. Try not to get confused. And if this turns out really messed up, feel free to flame me at the end of the chapter. I probably deserve it in one way or another.)

"_So…_" began Charlene slowly, stepping out into the boarding area. "_Is your dad coming to pick us up?_"

Christopher snorted and shook his head. "_Nah, we'll be lucky if we even see him today._"

"_How come?_"

"_He's _always_ at work—we hardly have any time together. He either comes back really late at night or not at all._"

"_Then…who makes breakfast for you? And dinner?_"

The boy shrugged. "_I make it myself._"

"_But,_" squeaked his cousin, "_you're only six! How do you even reach the stove?_" Again, he shrugged.

"_Okay, so my nanny helps out a lot, too._"

"Oi!" called a voice, quickly approaching the two. They turned around to see a small boy with buzz cut black hair and a worn-out brown bomber jacket that was too big for him dashing up to them. "Chris-kun," he chanted, smiling broadly at Christopher. "Sorry I'm late, I missed my first train." He sighed pathetically; Christopher laughed at him.

"_Um…Chris?_" asked Charlene quietly, pulling on his sleeve. "_What's he saying?_" she whispered frantically

"Hey, who's this geek?" asked the new boy.

"Gene!" hissed Christopher sharply.

"_Oh!_" chimed Charlene, clapping her hands together. "_You're Gene? Nice to meet you!_" she chirped, holding out her hand.

The boy stared at it for a moment, then he raised his eyes to Charlene and gave her the worst look he possibly could; after that, Charlene retracted her hand.

"…Go get our bags!" barked Christopher after a moment. "They both have du Monium on them, so don't screw up!"

"Aye, aye!" said Gene, doing a little salute before running off.

"_What just happened?_" asked Charlene sadly once Gene was out of earshot.

"_You just didn't…_" Christopher sighed. "_I guess I should've told you more before we got off the plane._"

"_Whaddya mean?_"

"_Well, first off, we don't—Japanese people don't really like foreigners._"

"_What about you then?_"

"_People don't like me either. But anyway, you bow instead of shaking hands here._"

"_How so?_"

Christopher put his hands at his sides and leaned forward, then motioned to Charlene to do the same.

"What the heck are you two doing?" shouted Gene, back already. Immediately, Charlene straightened up, turning bright red. "Dude, _where_ did you get this girl?" he hissed, leaning over to Christopher like Charlene would hear him if he didn't.

"She's my cousin," he whispered back. "She doesn't know Japanese, so go easy on her."

Gene gave a sharp laugh and said "She doesn't know—?" he laughed again and ran over to Charlene, got in her face and said "Retard! Asshole! Pervert!" Charlene just blinked at him, turning redder by the second.

"Idiot!" hissed Christopher, smacking the back of his friend's head.

"Ow, what the hell?" he screamed, whipping around. "You said she can't understand me!"

"That's not the point!"

"_Um… Christopher? Wh-what's going on…?_" asked Charlene timidly.

The boy sighed and turned back to his cousin. "_Nothing, just repeat after me._" He said, smiling; Charlene nodded. "Watashi," he began slowly.

"Wa-ta-shi," she repeated carefully, making sure to get it right.

"Wa,"

"Wa,"

"Charlene,"

"Charlene," she giggled, figuring out what she was saying.

"Desu,"

"Desu…" Charlene smiled brightly and turned to Gene, taking a small bow. "Watashi wa Charlene desu." She raised her head and glanced over at Christopher who mouthed something else to her; she mouthed it back, bowed again and said "Doozo yoroshiku! (Nice to meet you)"

"Whatever," muttered Gene, looking away.

"_Ya'know,_" started Christopher, "_you might learn faster than I thought._"

"_Of course,_" she giggled, "_I'm a genius, remember?_"

"Hey, Chris-kun," said Gene suddenly, turning back to his friend. Can I eat at your house tonight? My dad's at it again." He mumbled, glaring at the ground.

"Sure, but we'll probably have to go shopping first." He turned to Charlene and repeated it for her in French.

"_Huh?_" she asked, blinking at her cousin. "_Why's that?_"

X

"Oi," called Chris, opening the apartment door. "Otosan (dad), I'm back! Are you here?"

There came a crash and a sudden fumbling from the other room as a shaggy looking man stumbled out in front of the three children. "You were supposed to come back today?" he shouted, falling back to the floor when he tried to stand. "Gomen ne (sorry), I totally forgot."

"Want me to do the shopping?" asked Chris before his dad could say anything else. Without waiting for an answer, he walked over to the kitchen table and pulled down a jar filled with coin and paper yen. He took out a fistful of money and went back to the door. "I'll get some food and re-recruit Dillion-san to cook dinner, but_ only_ if you can get this place cleaned up by the time we get back, okay? Oh, and this is Charlene, my cousin, she's gonna be staying with us until I go back to mom's."

"Uh, okay," said his dad as Chris closed the door again and began to walk toward the elevator with Gene at his toes.

"_H-hey!_" called Charlene the second everything sunk in; she chased after the two boys and made it to the elevator just as the door opened. "_What was that about?_" she practically screamed. "_I thought you said your dad was an important executive or something!_"

"_He is,_" said Chris simply, "_he just lives like a high school dropout._"

Charlene collapsed onto the wall. "_WHY?_" she demanded tiredly.

Charlene flinched, then looked over her shoulder at Gene who was laughing at her. "Y'know," he said, crossing his arms, "you're pretty funny—for a girl." She stared at him, utterly confused; he laughed at her again.

The elevator stopped and the door open, Chris and Gene casually strolled out into the apartment lobby while Charlene cautiously tiptoed behind them.

"She really is an oddball." whispered Gene.

"Yes," replied Chris in an equally hushed tone, "but she's _my_ oddball."

Gene laughed and asked "So where're we gonna go to shop?"

Chris thought for a moment and then looked up at his taller friend. "I know just the place. Do you remember where Dillon-san works?"

"Ah, you mean that convenience store by the barbershop?" Chris nodded, "Perfect," said Gene with a big grin on his face, "I'm glad you finally decided to get that girly hair of yours chopped off."

"Why does everyone hate my hair?-!" screamed Chris, frustrated.

"_Is everything okay?_" called Charlene meekly, coming up behind them.

"_Yeah, everything's fine. And that reminds me, while you're learning the local language I can at least set you up with some basic phrases._" Charlene nodded, smiling brightly. "_Okay, hai—'yes', iie—'no', gomen nasai—'I'm sorry', arigatou gozaimasu—'thank you', nani—'what', and wakarimasen—which is 'I don't know'. If you ever find yourself at a loss for words, just say 'wakarimasen'._"

Charlene nodded slowly, a glazed look on her wide eyes.

"_Did you get all that?_" asked Chris slowly.

"…Hai!" chirped Charlene brightly.

"Alright," he turned back to Gene, "what do you want for dinner, oh-guest-of-honor?"

"Croquettes." He stated simply. "Some ikameshi (soy sauce covered rice-stuffed squid), and would it kill you to get some saké?"

"Are you kidding? We're not old enough to drink saké and you know it!"

"Do you even know how delicious it is?"

"NO! And how would you know?"

"I speculate."

"_Um… What's 'saké'?_" asked Charlene curiously.

Chris sighed and stated darkly "_alcohol._"

X

After much arguing over saké and then over directions on how to get to the store, the trio eventually made it into the little shop and were greeted with the oh-so-adorable Dillon-san. "Welcome!" she cheered, taking an exaggerated bow, as they opened the door. "We currently have a ten percent-off sale on pudding and—CHRIS-KUN!" she chirped happily when she saw him. She dashed out from behind the counter and over to the small boy, sweeping him up into her arms. "When did you get back?"

"Just now," he choked out from under her vice-like hug.

"Yay! Does this mean that you're gonna hire me again?" she shrieked excitedly. "That I won't have to work in this crappy store any more?"

"Y…yes…" he said slowly as she finally put him down; she shrieked gleefully again and gave him another crushing hug. "Dillon-san…!" he gasped, hearing a few anonymous bones crack.

"Ah—sorry!" she squeaked, releasing him immediately. "And you know, you don't have to call me 'Dillon-san' all the time; you can just say 'Ma-chan'!"

"But, dil—"

"Ma-chan!"

Chris sighed. "Ma-chan, you're older than me, I'm just trying to be polite."

"Older?" snorted the girl. "Only by nine years!"

"That's more than twice my age!"

"Hey," cooed Gene, clapping his hands together, "food—get—NOW."

"Yeah, yeah…"sighed the boy, turning to the aisles of food, but stopped when he saw Charlene standing in front of him; all the ingredients they needed in her arms.

She smiled at him and said "_I may not be able to speak Japanese, but I'm an excellent cook._" She went over to the counter and stood on her tiptoes in order to dump the items by the register. "_And no,_" she said, turning to Gene, "_there's no saké in there._"

The boy frowned at her. "I heard saké, and I'm going to assume that you're gonna be mean like Chris-kun and not get any." She smiled brightly at him; no idea as to what he had just said.

X

After only about a month, Charlene discovered that since the school system worked differently here, they had come late in the summer vacation and were going to start classes soon. She was of course excited about finally getting more of a challenge from school, but she also starting freaking out because her ability in Japanese was still at a bare minimum. Despite the best efforts of Chris and their nanny Ma-chan, Charlene still wasn't learning fast enough. She was, however, able to pick up on how to read and write the entire Hiragana and Katakana systems; it was only Kanji and the actual words that she had trouble with.

Tonight was their last free night before school resumed and Charlene was cramming like crazy. Although, it didn't help that Gene was sleeping over yet again and Ma-chan had brought her kid brother along to baby-sit and that all three boys were being incredible obnoxious while playing their destructive games; they were playing some crude game they called "kidnapper". Gene was the trigger-happy copper with a fully loaded arsenal that was trying to "negotiate" with the psycho prison escapee, Ma-chan's little brother, who had kidnapped the high-pitched dumb blonde girl, Chris, who seemed to have zero objections to his roll. Ma-chan, although she was supposedly trying to dismiss the game, was having a grand old time playing the sexy nurse who was standing around flipping her hair and pursing her lips while providing medical assistance.

Charlene groaned; it was bad enough that they were being so noisy, weren't helping her study, and breaking her concentration every five minutes, making her forget everything she'd just read, but did they invite her to play with them? No! _'What losers!'_ thought Charlene angrily. _'Is it because I'm a girl? Or because I'm not as pretty as Ma-chan? What is it?-!'_ She quickly smothered her face with her book as she screamed out her pent-up frustration. After a few minutes of deep breathing and listening to the others' game, Charlene sighed and pushed her chair away from the desk she was sitting at. She reached far underneath her bed and pulled out one of the two large black cases she had brought with her. She went over to the glass sliding door on the far side of the room and stepped out onto the balcony, shutting the door behind her and effectively muting the noise from inside. She stood at the railing for a moment, watching the neon lights of cars and signs flash below her. It all seemed so unreal; back in France she hadn't lived near any large cities like this. Charlene sighed as a warm summer breeze drifted by.

She then reached for the black case, flipped up the locks, and opened the lid, taking out her instrument. She carefully ran her fingers over the delicate strings of the violin before taking the bow into her hand. She closed her eyes and played. Whenever she was nervous, playing one of her instruments always helped. She loved music, but rarely ever sang; she thought she sounded like a dying weasel. She had never bothered to tell Chris about this, but she figured it didn't matter. I mean, it's not like they're gonna start a band, or something.

X

X

X

Me: And that's where I choose to end part 1.

Chrono: Oh goody, when's part 2 coming?

Me: Considering I already have 10 pages for it—soon. Depending on how long this turns out, I only want to put about 20 pages into each part.

Chrono: Okay, whatever.

Me: And also! I noticed that there are forty-some people who have this story on their favorites, but do you know how many reviews I get per chapter?

Chrono: Uh oh, this can't be good.

Me: Significantly less! That makes me sad, people. If you read this story, please review!

Chrono: Are you going on strike again?

Me: No, I'm not, but I would like it very much if I could get 240 reviews for this story. And to you forty-some meanies who have this on favorite, I'll cut you a deal. There are only TWENTY-some people who have this on _alert_, so if THEY each review this chapter, that'll make me happy. I would like it if I could say that I have a 10 reviews-per-chapter average here. That means I only need 16 reviews—come on, that's not very much! Appease the authoress, please!

Chrono: Yes, do it, or she'll never update.

Me: Wrong again, Chrono! I will NOT withhold the next chapter, I would just be very grateful if everyone who actually reads this would review for a change.

Chrono: Why are you so set on this?

Me: Because reviews make me feel loved.

Chrono: Authoresses need love?

Me: ………I'll give you a ten second running start—you may begin.

Chrono: Are you going to kill me?

Me: No, HE is going to kill you.

Freakishly large, super-bulked guy with pointy axe: Me crush tiny boy.

Chrono: Eep.

SPALT!


	25. Chapter 21 Part 2

Me: O.o My life is over.

Chrono: Why?

Me: Anime Expo 2006—the guest of honor is CLAMP. _The CLAMP_.

Chrono: Point?

Me: I found out about it too late. I don't have 600-plus dollars for plane and hotel. …Plus chaperone. Bottom line: I can't go.

Chrono: I laugh at you.

Mokona-sama: You _laugh_ at her?

Ohkawa-sama: That's beyond cruel.

Igarashi-sama: For shame, you worthless Moriyama creation.

Moriyama-sama: Hey, did I mock _you_ when you created a pitiful character? Did I strip, oh let's say, Misakichi of her dignity when you introduced her as weak, helpless, and clueless?

Nekoi-sama: No, you didn't. But _we're_ not the morons who invented an anger-management psycho demon with love issues. Who, by the way, is a total rip-off of the Chrono Trigger games.

Takahashi-sama: Ladies, ladies, _please_, must we argue over semantics?

Mokona-sama: Rumiko, we were referring to Chrono, _not_ Inu-Yasha.

Takahashi-sama: Oh…yes, of course. …Carry on then.

Moriyama-sama: That was below the belt—it is NOT a rip-off of Chrono Trigger! …Have you ever even played/read Chrono Trigger?

CLAMP-sama: No.

Me: Do you know who else are going to be guests at the convention?

Chrono: Super-hot voice actors?

Me: Damn right!

Chrono: Whee! I—I mean—"Greg" (yes…"Greg Ayers", heh heh…) am a guest?

Me: Pffpth! You're joking, right? I'm talking mega-hot-knock-your-socks-off voice actors!

Chrono: No…oh _no_! You don't—you can't—it isn't!

Ed: Hello, again.

Chrono: NOOOOOOOOOO!-!-!

Me: Please my dear actors don't disguise yourselves.

Ed: (throws away disguises)

Mignogna-san: Phew, that's better. (turns to authoress) Hey…you're that damn writer that split my best work into seven personae!

Me: AND—I'm plotting against your _worst_ work right now!

Mignogna-san: Ya' mean Dark?

Me: Yes.

Mignogna-san: Go for it.

Me: Thank you.

Paku-san: Excuse me, but, did you say you're _not_ coming to the Expo?

Me: (sniffle) That's correct…

Paku-san: No! The diehard fans _need_ to be there!

Chrono: How does this woman qualify as "hot voice actor"?

Me: Would you please, Paku-san, for this unbeliever?

Paku-san: Of course. (clears throat) "Oi, Aru, Aru? Doko desu ka?——Sore wa, sore wa—MIZU DESU! Mizu, mizu, mizu, mizu, mizu, mizu, mizu!-!——Eh? Ahh… Mizu nai desu ka? AHHHHH!-!-!—'Wine' desu ka?-?"

Me: (clapping madly) YAY! I love you, Paku Romi-san!-!

Chrono: Feh…Yuri…

CLAMP-sama: And just WHAT may we ask is wrong with Yuri?-?-?

Sakura, Tomoyo, Hikaru, Umi, Fuu, Misaki, Tamayo, Hatoko, Miyuki: YEAH! What's wrong with Yuri?-?

Nokoru, Suoh, Akira, Ashura, Yukito, Touya, Subaru: And what about Yaoi, HUH?

Kaho, Yasha, Fai, Hideki, Kurogane, Seishiro, Icchan, Yuuko: I suppose you're gonna say something against Pedophilia, too?

Hokuto, Subaru, Hikaru, Nova: And Twin-cest?

Eriol: Let's not even get into technical-necrophilia.

Mokona-sama: …We're awful, awful people, aren't we?

Me: Yeah… But at least you're adorable when you're awful.

Ohkawa-sama: And isn't that really all that matters?

Moriyama-sama: Sure whatever… Can you go back to that whole Yuri thing, please?

Chrono: _Tsk_—that man has Musume on the brain.

Me: Yep.

X

X

(Friendly reminders:

Christopher, Charlene, Gene, Rimona, Vincent, and Anton are Chrono, Shader, Genai, Rizelle, Viede, and Aion respectively.

This is part of the magical double-language portion of the chapter. Any whole sentences in italics are French, everything else is Japanese. This does NOT apply to thoughts or single words I feel like emphasizing. Anything in parenthesis within a sentence is to explain weird things. Try not to get confused. And if this turns out really messed up, feel free to flame me at the end of the chapter. I probably deserve it in one way or another.)

X

X

X

"AAAHHHH!" screamed the boys the next morning, throwing away their blankets and digging around the messy room for their uniforms.

"How the hell did we over sleep?" cried Gene, tugging his arms through the sleeves of his bomber jacket.

"You're the one who didn't want to set an alarm!" shouted Chris, desperately searching for his uniform pants.

"Boys, breakfast is ready!" called a voice from the kitchen. Chris and Gene stopped and gawked at each other then raced to the kitchen to see Charlene hopping off a stool, carrying a frying pan; she laughed at them.

"Why aren't you dressed?"

"How are you talking?" demanded Chris loudly; she laughed at him again.

"Did you honestly think that I wouldn't be able to speak after a month of studying?" Chris nodded; Charlene tsk-ed. "Well, from now on you're not allowed to speak to me in French. Got it?"

"Whatever you say, Miss I-don't-need-help-learning-another-language." Said Chris, rolling his eyes; Charlene stared wide-eyed at him. "What?"

"Wakarimasen…" she whined, slumping over.

X

X

X

In the Life of a Rock Star

Chapter 21 (part 2): The crappy name I feel like calling it is… "Chrono".

X

X

X

"Woow…" cooed Charlene as she, Chris, and Gene entered the school grounds. "This place is huge!"

"Duh," snorted Gene, "whaddya expect?"

"…Smaller."

"Feh… rural ignorant…"

"What?"

"Nothing," chirped Gene, turning away.

"Hey, brats," called a deep voice. The three looked at the person and blanched; it was a fifth grader, and a big, mean-looking one at that. "I see that you're new here, girly."

Chris blew out his cheeks. "I'm not a girl," he muttered irritably.

The brut laughed and pushed Chris down, he then turned his attention to Charlene who stared up at him determinedly; observers may say that she was acting brave, but really, she had no clue as to what was going on. "And what's up with you, huh? Those glasses are huge!" He snorted at his own joke, then grabbed Charlene's arm and threw her into a puddle, soaking her head to toe. The bully laughed even harder when she started to cry. He started to walk over to where she sat so as to torment her more, but was stopped by a girl with deep red hair.

"I wouldn't," she hissed. The boy looked her over, raising an eyebrow at her odd appearance; she wore a mesh long-sleeved shirt over a tank-top, a loose belt, a miniskirt, fishnet stockings, and giant hoop earrings; in other words, she was totally ignoring the dress code.

"How're gonna stop me?" demanded the bully. The girl smirked and snapped her fingers. A fairly-large boy with dark hair that fell over his eyes walked out of the crowd of spectators. "Oh, yeah?" said the fifth grader, sizing up to the new boy. "You don't scare me, pipsqueak."

"Are you sure?" asked the girl. "I'll give you one last chance to stop picking on new kids; I suggest that you take it."

"As if!" shouted the taller boy as he balled his fists.

"Alright," sighed the girl, walking away. "You asked for it."

As she turned around, the boy charged at her, swinging his fist. He had a clean shot at her until the other boy appeared from out of no where and caught the fist as if it were nothing, took hold of his arm, and swung him clear over his head and slammed him into the ground. The older boy landed with a heavy 'thud', crying out momentarily. At the sound of his yell, a few teachers came rushing over and before saying a word, they seemed to know the work of the boy and girl. They scolded the two and took them inside the building.

When the teachers, the two students, and the crowd of spectators were all gone, the fifth grader stood up and sneered down at Charlene. "This isn't over, brat." He hissed before walking away.

"You okay?" asked Chris, helping up his cousin.

"Yeah, thanks to those two."

Chris snorted and looked away, letting go of her arm. "Not _those_ otaku."

"Huh?" Charlene blinked at him. "What do you mean?"

"Man," sighed Gene, scratching the back of his head, "I could've taken that guy on myself—if it hadn't been for those stupid otaku…"

"I'd _rather_ take that brut over otaku," added Chris.

"What are otaku?" shouted Charlene.

"They're obsessive idiots." stated Chris.

"Good-for-nothing, tough guy losers," snorted Gene.

"They didn't seem _that_ bad…" whispered Charlene as the bell rang.

(NOTE: In Japan, _otaku_ is a more negative term used to describe an overly obsessive fan of something.)

X

By some miraculous coincidence, Chris, Charlene, and Gene all ended up in the same class; this freaked out Gene very much because Chris had forgotten to tell him that he and Charlene had skipped a grade.

Even though she could only catch the gist of what the teacher was saying and wasn't able to answer any questions, Charlene was actually having in school now. It certainly _was _a challenge to keep up with everything but visuals were a great help. And despite being soaked and bullied earlier that morning, it had been a good day. Though, she very much wanted to find those 'otaku' kids again and thank them—she was sure that they weren't as bad as Chris and Gene made them out to be.

At lunch, while they were outside, Gene suddenly took on a stiff and glary mood. When Charlene followed his gaze, she saw the 'otaku' sitting on a distant bench together. Charlene was about to stand up and go over to them when Gene snorted and said "Look at that idiot, he thinks that just because he can tap a pair of chopsticks on a lunchbox that he can actually drum." Charlene looked closer at the otaku boy to indeed find him drumming on his lunchbox; the otaku girl was staring off into space, nodding her head to her friend's beat. "Losers," muttered Gene, stuffing some rice into his mouth.

X

Their next class was a free period, so while the others weren't looking, Charlene dashed off to find the otaku. Almost right away she found them sitting on a window ledge in an empty hallway playing cards. She carefully walked up to them.

"My ninth level fire dragon defeats your magical nymph, taking a whole 20 points from your health." stated the boy monotonously, flipping over a card; the girl did a double take and fell back against the window.

"Aw, man…" she cried tiredly. "How come you always win?"

"E-excuse me," stuttered Charlene, interrupting them; they both turned and stared at her.

---

"Where'd she go?" muttered Chris as he and Gene scanned the halls for his missing cousin. As he turned the corner, he stopped and ducked behind the wall.

"What is it?" hissed Gene as Chris took hold of him and dragged him down with him.

"It's Charlene and she's talking to those stupid otaku!"

"What?-!"

---

"Um…th-thank you for early…" squeaked Charlene, blushing brightly and taking a bow; they continued to stare at her. Feeling even more embarrassed, Charlene tried a new tactic; she pointed at their cards. "Um, that's pretty cool. Could you… um… uh…!" she stopped, turning even redder.

---

"What happened?" whispered Gene, attempting to climb over Chris to get a better view of what was going on.

Chris was caught between amusement and dread; "She ran out of words!"

---

"'You?" shrieked the otaku girl suddenly. "You _dare_ to refer to ME as 'YOU'?" Charlene flinched, taking a step back. "No one in their right mind has _ever_ had the guts to speak to me in such a way!"

---

Chris smacked his forehead. "What is it?" asked Gene.

"I forgot to teach her about formalities!"

---

"Uh—um," squeaked Charlene, she was _completely_ lost at this point.

"You know, kid," continued the otaku girl; her scowl melted into a warm smile. "It's refreshing to meet someone that doesn't judge us by our appearance. At last!" she cried happily, making the confused girl jump, "Someone that treats us like everyone else!" She smiled broadly; the boy nodded in agreement. "So, kid, what do people call you?" asked the girl, turning back to Charlene.

She stared at them a moment and then bowed; "Wakarimasen…" she whimpered pathetically.

She had caught the otaku off guard and after a moment, they both started to crack up. "A foreigner? Go figure!" she wiped away a tear and finally calmed down. When she spoke again, she sounded completely different. "Do you speak English?"

Charlene instantly brightened up. "Yes!" she chirped. "And what I was trying to say before was that maybe you could teach me how to play that game." She indicated the cards again, smiling broadly. "Oh, what were _you_ saying just now?"

The otaku girl laughed once more and said "Never you mind that, we were just saying how nice you are."

"Oh, but you guys are _way_ nicer—you saved me from that bully this morning!" she squeaked nervously.

The other girl smiled and shook her head. "No, you are most definitely nicer. And tell 'ya what, we'll do one better that teach you this game—wanna be our friend?"

Charlene lit up like a Christmas tree, but before she could answer, Chris and Gene popped out from their hiding spot.

"You're talking in gibberish again!" shouted Chris, pointing an accusing finger at his cousin; she blinked at him.

"Huh?"

"She said something about…gibberish?" clarified the otaku girl.

"Hey," yelled Gene, "come on, let's get away from these otaku! They're not your type!"

"Hey, layoff, pipsqueak!" yelled the girl back. "We're her friends—who're you?"

Before they could yell at each other anymore, Charlene stepped in and screamed "Japanese—sense making—no no!" in English. The otaku girl apologized, but Gene and Chris refused to calm down. "Hey, what're your names, by the way?" asked Charlene, completely ignoring her cousin.

"Oh right, you can call me RiRi-chan, and this is Bi-kun." She said, waving with a small "V" sign on her fingers. "What do people call you?"

"My name's Charlene!"

RiRi-chan laughed again. "No—I mean, what do people call you? Not like your name, 'cuz I'm Rimona and this is Vincent, but you don't see us going around by those lame names."

"Oh, well I don't really have a nickname…"

RiRi-chan gasped. "Then we must find you one!" she snapped her fingers together. "I know—how 'bout 'ChaCha-chan'?"

"Um…"

"Then it's settled! Until further notice, you are ChaCha-chan!"

"Now hold on a minute!" started Chris, but then the bell rang.

"We're gonna be late!" shrieked RiRi-chan, shoving her cards into her backpack.

X

"You can't be serious." grumbled Chris after school. "Why do you even wanna hang out with those otaku?"

Charlene shrugged. "They're my friends. And they said that unlike SOME PEOPLE," she said quite loudly, telling them that she was about to lecture them, "_I_ don't judge them without knowing them." She coughed twice, reminding them of all the awful things they had said.

"So what? They're still otaku." mumbled Gene; Charlene shot him an icy glare, silencing him. "S-so you're gonna go home with them…when?" he asked, clearing his throat.

"Tomorrow—right after school."

"Why?"

"They said they wanted me to hear something." She said simply.

"Humph," pouted Gene, putting his hands on his hips. "I don't trust them." Charlene glared at him again. "So," he continued hastily, "I'm going with you."

"Suit yourself." she muttered.

X

The next day, right after the bell rang, Charlene found Gene waiting for her at the front gate. She was just about to ask what he was doing when she remembered what he had said; she groaned quietly at the thought of going anywhere with him; he wasn't exactly one of her favorite people.

"You ready?" he asked as soon as she came up to him.

"Wait," she started as he began to walk off. "Where're RiRi-chan and Bi-kun?"

Gene sighed impatiently. "I told them to go on ahead."

"You jerk!" shrieked Charlene. "How're we supposed to get to their house now? You're so inconsiderate—I hate you!" she reached out and tried to push the boy, but failed miserably, barely fazing him. Before she could retract her hands, he caught her right hand in his left and start dragging her away. "Stop it, let me go!" she cried as she tried her best to escape the boy's grasp.

"Just shut up and follow me!" barked Gene as he yanked her forward, effectively making her lose her footing.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Because!" he shouted stopping abruptly; he sighed and turned around to face her. "Because," he continued more calmly, "you don't know where they live and even if I let you go alone I don't want to risk you getting hurt." After a silent moment of staring at each other, Gene's cheeks flushed pink and he turned back around, resuming pulling Charlene down the sidewalk.

"So," she whispered after a few minutes, "you're just worried about me?"

"Of course," he squeaked, still flustered, "why wouldn't I be?"

"S-so, do you know where RiRi-chan lives?" she asked, wanting to change the subject before _she_ turned any redder.

"Yeah; she and that other otaku—I mean, Bi-kin, live down the street from me."

"Down the…?" Charlene trailed off. It never occurred to her that Gene actually had a real house to go to since he seemed to sleepover at Chris' every night. Suddenly she had all these questions about his personal life, like if he had any siblings or pets, or what kind of jobs his parents had. "They live on the same street as you?" she blurted out, making him flinch slightly. "That's so cool! I've never even heard you mention your house before. What's it like? Are your parent's nice?" she asked smiling brightly.

Gene's step seemed to falter for a second before he slowly turned to face Charlene. "Yeah…" he muttered sadly before grinning broadly at her. "They're great—really!"

"They are?" Gene nodded. "Cool! Can we stop by your house before we go to RiRi-chan's? I'd love to meet your parents!"

This time Gene stopped all together, not even facing Charlene. "No…" he began quietly. "They're… at work now. And I, uh… forgot my key."

"Oh, that's okay," Charlene smiled warmly at him, "maybe some other time, then?"

She waited for an answer, and after a long moment he whispered "Sure."

He gradually started walking again only now his grasp on Charlene's hand seemed less tight than before. She stared down at their hands and smiled a little, curling her fingers around his and trotting up to walk beside him. Neither of them said anything for a while, but for some reason, Charlene felt content. A warm feeling spread from Gene's hand to her own as they walked; the frayed edges of his worn bomber jacket tickling her wrist.

As they waited for the green light at a crosswalk, Charlene glanced over at a nearby shop window and saw that she was blushing. She gasped and shook her head, attempting to rid herself of the redness.

"What're you doing?" asked Gene, looking back at her.

"Nothing!" she squeaked quickly, turning away so he couldn't see her face. He blinked at her, confused, then looked over at the shop window she had been staring at and laughed a little. "What?" she asked, turning back to him.

"I see," he said knowingly.

"What?" she repeated, more curious as to what he was thinking.

"We'll stop there own the way back." He said as the light finally turned green and they began to walk across the street still holding hands. Before it disappeared behind the crowd of people, Charlene got to see what it was she had been staring at; an ice cream shop. She felt her cheeks heat up even more.

X

When they were finally into a neighborhood of actual houses instead of apartments, Charlene saw RiRi-chan dashing out of a garage a few houses down. She called to Charlene and she let go of Gene's hand to run to her other friend. When the two met up, they called back to Gene to see him staring at a pale-blue house; it was completely average-looking with a winding sidewalk that went all the way up to the front door without any steps. Charlene ran back to him, took his hands into her own, and dragged him over to the garage where RiRi-chan had come from.

"It's about time you two got here," sighed RiRi-chan, strolling over to the back wall of the garage. "I was starting to think that this brat here had kidnapped you."

"Why you…" growled Gene, taking a step toward the girl and balling his fists; she laughed at him. Charlene held her hand out in front of him and he automatically let his arms go limp at his sides. "So why did you invite us, or more like _her_ here?" he sighed, nodding at Charlene.

"So very glad you asked," chirped RiRi-chan, clapping her hands together; just then, Bi-kun walked into the garage from the house. "Hey guess what?" she called to him. "They're finally ready!" While Bi-kin nodded and went over to something covered with several sheets over it in the corner, RiRi-chan brought a chair over to Charlene, saying "Here, you can sit and watch, okay?" she then glared up at Gene. "You can just stand, how's that?"

Again, Gene balled his fists, growling at the girl.

"All set," came Bi-kun's flat voice from the corner. Charlene and Gene looked over at him and gasped. There was a large speaker back in the corner next to an elaborate set of drums, an electric guitar on a stand, and a microphone; the two gawked at it all while RiRi-chan picked up her guitar.

"Hey, ChaCha-chan, wanna hear somethin' real cool?" she asked the stunned girl; she nodded vacantly at her. RiRi-chan looked back at Bi-kun and winked. He nodded and held his sticks low to the drum; that's when they started.

It started off as only RiRi-chan, then Bi-kun began to pound his way into the song. Charlene smiled widely, thoroughly enjoying herself; Gene was thinking _'Huh, I guess he CAN actually drum…'_

_Sekai no hashimade todoku koeyori_

_Kimi ni dake tsutaetai dake  
Rokugenno sanfuretto kizamu my guitar  
Kokoro dake furuwasetai dake_

Sang RiRi-chan. For only third-graders, they were really good at this and even Gene thought they were all right, that is until RiRi-chan grinned at Charlene, making her clap even louder for the two; Gene scowled and crossed his arms.

_Yureru komaku, haseru kotoba  
Urei tomadoi kokonisuteru  
Tokubetsuna sainou wo  
Nani hitotsu motazutomo  
Kokoro ima kokoda kakinarasu_

"Go, girl, go!" shouted Charlene, still clapping madly; Gene crossed his arms even tighter.

_Kimi ga nageku  
Munega itannde  
Subete tsutsumu eienno seimei  
Boku wa sakebu  
Yoakeno ame  
Kokode hibiku eienno seimei_

_Tokubetsuna sainou wo  
Nani hitotsu motazutomo  
Kimi no tojiru yami wo uchinuku  
Dekirunara kokoro, sore hitotsu  
Kono mune no okuwo ima kokode kakinarasu_

"Ta-da!" cheered RiRi-chan as she played her last cord. "So what'd you think, ChaCha-chan?" she asked grinning widely at the girl.

"Yeah, yeah! Encore, encore!" squeaked Charlene, punching her arms in the air.

"And how did _you_ like it, brat?" she sneered at Gene.

"Feh!"

RiRi-chan growled at him. "What kinda answer is that, brat?" she demanded hotly.

"Feh!" spat Gene again.

"Why you little—come 'ere!" she yelled, pouncing at him. Luckily Bi-kun caught her before she could do anything violent.

"You guys are really good!" said Charlene, cutting in to take the attention away from Gene. "Do you have a band name?"

"Yep!" chirped RiRi-chan proudly. "We are Asian Kung-fu Generation!"

"I thought we were the Pillows." said Bi-kun dully.

"If you ask me, they _both_ sound lame." muttered Gene.

"Well no one did!" screamed RiRi-chan, attempting to attack him again, but was once again stopped by Bi-kun.

"Hey, can I join your band?" asked Charlene, blushing slightly.

"Of course!" chirped RiRi-chan, doing another emotional 180 as she turned away from Gene. "Do you wanna sing, play, or both?"

"Um…" squeaked the girl, turning even redder. "I-I can't really sing… But I can play violin and trumpet."

"You can?" yelped Gene, totally surprised. "How come you never said anything before?"

Charlene looked down, still maroon. "W-well, I…"

"Maybe she doesn't like you enough to tell 'ya." sneered RiRi-chan. Instead of another snide remark this time, Gene just turned around and walked out of the garage. "What's with him?" asked RiRi-chan, actually stunned by his actions; Charlene shrugged.

While RiRi-chan and Bi-kun played a few more songs for Charlene, Gene stood outside, leaning against the wall of the garage, staring off at the pale-blue house down the street. He grimaced when a red car pulled up its driveway and a large man and sluty woman hobbled out. The man was swinging a bottle in one hand and groping the woman with the other. Gene glared at the two as the man fumbled his house key before kicking the door open.

"Gene-kun?" came a small voice from behind him; he jumped at it. The person laughed at him and started tugging at his hand. "Come on, it's getting late. We should probably get home." He stared at Charlene for a moment, still somewhat surprised. "Oh," she continued, putting a finger to her chin. "But then _you_ live so close, I should probably just go home by myself."

"Dream on," he huffed, taking her hand into his own once more. "I'm not gonna let you walk home all by yourself this late."

"It's only six—I'll be fine, really."

Gene sighed and looked back at her, staring for more than a few seconds. Finally he came up with "I'm sleeping over again tonight—if I didn't, your cousin would be lost without me."

Charlene laughed at him, saying "You're right, he would be!"

Gene's cheeks flushed and a knot worked its way into his throat as he watched the girl smile at him.

"Okay, you lovebirds," cooed RiRi-chan, coming out of the garage and clapping her hands together. "If you're gonna go home, go home now before the traffic gets any worse!"

"Lovebirds?" squeaked Charlene, turning bright red. "N-no, we-we're not—!"

"Y-yeah, w-we're not…love…birds…y-you stupid otaku…" muttered Gene, face just as red as Charlene's.

"Oh yeah?" giggled RiRi-chan. "Then why are you still holding hands?"

Charlene and Gene looked down at their hands to see that, indeed, they hadn't let go yet; there isn't a red deep enough to describe their identical blush.

"C-come on!" squeaked Gene, utterly flustered as he tugged Charlene away.

"Thanks for coming, ChaCha-chan! Come back tomorrow with your cousin, 'kay?" called RiRi-chan, waving after them.

"'Kay!" called Charlene back, also waving.

Once they were a few houses down, Charlene noticed that the light at RiRi-chan's house went off and the garage door started to close. The neighborhood was silent as they sun was going down except for the buzzing of a few bugs. In the newly settled calm, she noticed that Gene's hand was trembling—and sweating. Suddenly her own hand felt disgustingly wet, so she slipped it out of the boy's wiped it on her shirt. Gene stopped walking and turned to face her. "What's wrong?"

"You're hand…" she said simply, still wiping her own.

The boy flinched, realizing how sweaty his hand was. "S-sorry," he stuttered, jamming his hands into the pockets of his bomber jacket.

"Hey," said Charlene suddenly; Gene looked at her curiously then blanched seeing that she was looking over at the pale-blue house. "You were staring at that house on they way here, is it yours?" He nodded slowly. "There's a car out front! Is it your parents'? Can I meet them now?"

"No," he said sharply. "I mean—it's my brother's car, and he's probably gonna leave pretty soon; he works really late."

"Oh," sighed the girl; she then smiled and started to walk again. "Maybe some other time then?"

"Yeah…right." muttered Gene, taking one last good look at the house before following the girl.

X

"So what do you want for dinner? It's my turn to cook tonight." asked Charlene as they waited for a green light. Gene shrugged, then gave a start when something caught his eye. "What is it?" asked the girl as the light changed; he grinned at her and took her hand, racing across the street. "W-where're we going?" she squeaked as they hopped up onto the other curb.

"I did promise, didn't I?" he asked, pointing to a small shop on the corner; the ice cream shop.

Charlene's face lit up again. "N-no, y-y-you don't have to!" she squeaked nervously as he guided her up to the counter. "Really, it's okay—I'm not even hungry!"

"Two chocolate cones, please."

"Really!"

"Here you go, please come again." She was too late, it was done.

Charlene sighed as they walked over to a bench; somehow Gene was able to carry both cones in one hand. "Here," he offered her the ice creams, but she turned her nose at it, freeing her hand from his and saying "I told you I didn't want any, so I'm not going to have any!"

Gene shrugged. "Suit yourself." He said as he distributed the cones between his hands and started licking one. "Mmm…it's goooood…" he cooed tauntingly.

Charlene gave a strained look, licking her lips longingly. "Wh-what even makes you think that I like chocolate?" she asked arrogantly.

"Your eyes," she glanced back at him…and the ice cream. "Your eyes are the same color as chocolate." He grinned at her. "I guess that's a pretty lousy reason, huh?"

She snatched the extra cone away from him. "You're right, it _is_ stupid—but I _do_ like chocolate, so there. Nya!" she stuck her tongue out at him and then promptly began to lick her treat.

Gene laughed at her quietly. "I had a feeling…"

"Ah," he looked over at her and saw that her scoop of chocolate had fallen to the ground. "Uh…" her face scrunched up; Gene gulped, knowing what was coming. "WAH!" he covered his ears and closed one eye, squinting at the girl through the other. "W-why…?" she sobbed. "It-it's not f-fair…!"

Gene sighed and slowly uncovered his ears. He placed his hand over hers that was still grasping the cone. He carefully pulled it away and replaced it with his own. "Here," he grunted, examining his new cone.

Charlene stared at the ice cream and then at Gene. "But," she fell silent when he took a large bite out of the empty cone. "Um…th-thank you…" she whispered after a minute.

"No problem." He chirped, popping the last bit of the cone into his mouth. "Hey," he said between licking his fingers. "You're cooking dinner tonight, right?"

"Y-yeah,"

"Can we have ramen?"

She stared at him a moment, taken off guard by the simple request. "Sure," she said, smiling warmly at him. Before she knew what she was doing, Charlene was leaning over to him, pressing her lips against his cheek. His breath left him all at once as the boy turned bright red for the umpteenth time that day. His brain froze up and the only thought he could muster was that if it had been any other girl kissing him, he'd have shouted at her about cooties. But Charlene wasn't like any other girl, she's special.

"Um, s-sorry!" she squeaked, bringing him out of his trance. Apparently she had removed herself some time ago and now he was just a cherry tomato staring off into space. "I don't know why—um, that is I…"

Gene shook his head patiently. "Don't worry about it." He smiled tenderly at her; Charlene switched her eyes to stare down intently at her ice cream as she slowly finished it. Without noticing, the two were holding hands again, and neither could care less.

As they walked through the thinning crowd of people on their way home from work, Gene glanced down at the younger girl and suddenly he had this strong urge to kiss her—and not on the cheek. He decided against it though; thinking that he'll just save that little thought for another time. Right now, he was content just having an excuse to hold her hand; if he didn't, she'd just get lost in the crowd and they both knew it.

X

"Chris, we're home!" called Charlene, locking the front door. She waited a moment, but no one answered. "Are _you_ home?"

"Dammit, Lavos, just die already!"

Charlene and Gene stared at each other and then went to Chris' room to find him playing some RPG on his Super Nintendo. "You're up to the final boss already?" asked Gene in awe.

"Yes, thank you, and it's very hard!" snapped the boy, pounding on the controller. "AAH! He just killed Lucca!"

"Wait, how come I've never seen you play this before?" asked Charlene.

"Because you're always in your room studying. CRITICAL HEALTH?-! Quick Marle, heal Chrono!" shouted the boy frantically.

"You're obsessed with that character." snorted Gene at his friend's haste in the inevitable active-time-battle game.

"Well, of course I am!" grunted Chris. "He's the main character!"

Gene grinned wickedly, wrapping his arm around Chris' shoulders. "Then from now on, I shall call you Chrono!"

Chris turned away from his game just as the boss crushed the last of his defense and shouted "WHAT? It's such a stupid name—you better not, Gene!"

"Oh, Chrono, you hate your own name? For shame!" cooed Gene dramatically.

"Fine!" pouted the boy, "If you're going to call me by a stupid video game, then I get to call you Ge! (lower in quality, kind of like 'loser')"

Gene scowled at this new name; Chris just smiled mischievously and went to the kitchen.

Charlene looked up at the boy and smiled kindly. "Then I guess I'll just have to call you 'Genai'. (_not_ a loser)"

X

"This is your cousin?" snorted RiRi-chan the next day, giving Chris—err…'Chrono', a good look-over. "What do people call you, kid?"

"We call 'em Chrono!" chanted Gene evilly.

"And I call you Ge!" snapped Chrono.

"Nai!" added Charlene under her breath.

"Is it possibly that you all got even stranger since yesterday?" asked RiRi-chan in total disbelief. She looked over at Bi-kun for an answer; he just shrugged. "So anyway," sighed the girl, bringing her attention back to Charlene. "Did you tell your cousin about our band like I asked?"

"Yep!" she chirped. "He even said that he had something special to show you!"

"Oh really?" quipped RiRi-chan, "Is that 'something' in that giant case you brought to school today?"

"Maybe," cooed the boy mysteriously.

"The what and the who now?" asked Genai stupidly; RiRi-chan rolled her eyes and glanced over at Charlene.

"I guess I forgot to tell you…" she whispered. He gave her an odd look and she shook her head. "It's nothing that important! RiRi-chan and Bi-kun were just looking for some more members for their band and wanted to know if I knew anybody that could play something."

Genai blinked at her. "And Chrono does what exactly?"

"He plays guitar."

Genai did a double take and turned to his friend. "You do?" Chrono nodded. "How come you never told me?"

"Well, it's not like we're gonna start a band."

"Well apparently we _are_…" grumbled the boy, crossing his arms. He huffed and looked back over at Charlene. "How come you didn't ask _me_?"

"But, y-you don't play anything, do you?" squeaked the girl nervously.

"I take piano lessons."

"WHAAA?" she shrieked; the other automatically slapped their hands over their ears. "That's soo cool!"

"Not really…" he shouted over her cries of glee.

"Yes it is! I've never, ever met someone who could play the piano!" Suddenly she calmed down and took Genai's hands into her own smiling warmly up at him. "It'd make me really, really happy if I could hear you play." She cooed gently.

Genai's cheeks began to burn as he turned bright red. Again, he had that sudden urge to kiss Charlene, but again, he didn't. In order to clear his mind, he turned away and managed to stutter out "W-well m-maybe I'll b-bring m-my keyboard to RiRi-chan's house today."

"Really?" squealed the girl. "Thank you soo much!" With that, she threw herself upon the boy, hugging him tightly and making him turn even redder.

"R-really…it-it's not that great…" he squeaked, growing exponentially more flustered.

Dong Dong Dong!

"Ahh…There's the bell," sighed RiRi-chan, picking up her backpack. "Onward to math," she shuttered at the word.

"You don't like math?" asked Charlene rather sadly. "But it's so much fun!"

"It's not the math that I hate," she sighed, "there's this bratty kid in our class, An-chan, who just drives me insane!"

"More so than you already are?" muttered Genai; RiRi-chan smacked him—_hard_.

"An-chan…" repeated Chrono slowly. "Why does that name sound so familiar?"

RiRi-chan shrugged; "Maybe he's bullied you before or something. I mean, it would be just like him to pick on a little girl."

Chrono froze, turned away slowly, and grumbled angrily "I'm a _boy_".

"Oh," chirped RiRi-chan innocently. "I'm guessing this is a common mistake—what with your hair and all…"

Chrono glared at her. "WHY?" he shrieked. "Why does EVERYONE hate my hair?"

"Why don't YOU just get it all chopped off then?" grunted Genai, also picking up his bag.

"Maybe YOU should let other people wear their hair the way they want to!" cried Charlene of all people; Genai stiffened, surprised by the girl's outburst. "I mean, sure Chris' hair maybe a little too long, but it looks good on him! In fact, long hair is better in general! So if you don't like his hair, then you can take you and your stupid buzz cut and—and—" she flapped her arms at him, at a loss for words, and then just stormed away.

"Wh…wha…?" squeaked Genai after a minute, "She just…But I…It wasn't…" he groaned, sighed, and then chased after the girl; Chrono was very confused as to why though. In his previous years in Japan, Gene hadn't cared at all before when he upset someone—he cared even less if it was a girl.

"What's up with him?" he asked, staring off at his friend. He turned around for an answer from RiRi-chan or Bi-kun, but he found that they'd gone; that's when the second bell rang. "NO!" he screamed, taking off towards the door. "I don't want to be late again!"

X

"Why is he so inconsiderate?" grumbled Charlene, taking out her lunchbox that afternoon. "I mean, would it kill him to stop and think about how other people feel?"

"Why do you even care so much about hair, ChaCha-chan." asked RiRi-chan, opening her pop can.

"That's easy," sighed Chrono, staring down at his detention slip, "back in France, her mom wouldn't let her grow her hair out."

"And I've always wanted long, pretty hair." snapped the girl.

"And I'm sure it'd look really cute on you, ChaCha-chan," said RiRi-chan, smiling brightly at her. "I can imagine it now—long locks of flowing golden hair!" she sighed dreamily.

"I think it'd look good in silver." stated Bi-kun dully.

"Are you kidding?" shrieked his otaku friend. "Silver would just make her look like an old lady!" Bi-kun shrugged.

"So how was math class?" asked Charlene in an attempt to change the subject. "Did that An-chan guy give you any trouble?"

RiRi-chan groaned exhaustedly. "Yes! That horny held-back jerk kept hitting on me!"

"You should take it as a complement!"

"Not with what _he_ says," she mumbled. "And besides, if that's the kind of boys I attract, just shoot me now! I want my boyfriend to be the sweet and sensitive type. The kind of person who'll let me vent to them; someone who shares common interests and loves me with his whole heart. That's _my_ dream boy."

"You certainly shoot for the stars," giggled Charlene.

"But what really gets me about that darn An-chan guy," continued RiRi-chan, "are those tiny, little glasses of his—and that stupid hair, too." RiRi-chan shuddered, "It's so gross and long and greasy. Ew!"

Charlene looked over at Bi-kun; he had just choked into his juice carton. "You okay?" she asked lightly; he nodded, still silent like always.

"So anyway, it's not just his hair and glasses, An-chan also has these squinty little eyes that look like they're always watching you—and sometimes they even look gold!" Charlene giggled at her; "What?"

"It sounds like you have a crush on him."

"Whaa?" screeched the girl. "No way, you've got it all wrong!"

"Do I?" she asked, laughing again; RiRi-chan started to blush.

Just then, Bi-kun stood up, taking his lunchbox over to a trashcan. "You done already?" asked RiRi-chan. Without waiting for an answer, she held out her empty pop can. "Can you take this too?" she set the can on top of the box. "Thanks!" she chirped, turning back to Charlene.

"Don't you think you're taking advantage of him?" asked the younger girl as she watched Bi-kun emptying the garbage.

"Nah, he's just being friendly."

"…Right…"

X

Bi-kun sighed as he closed his lunchbox. He knew it. He could tell just by the way that she talked about him that RiRi-chan liked An-chan. He glanced over at a window on the school building that showed him his reflection; long, greasy bangs and all; he sighed again. _'Maybe I should get my hair cut,'_ he thought vaguely. Bi-kun glanced to his left, out of the corner of his eye, he had seen Genai, sitting alone in a dark corner of the school grounds; he went over to him.

"Stupid," he was muttering, pulling at his hair. "Why can't you be longer?" he slowly looked over to where Bi-kun was standing and nearly jumped out of his skin. "Jeez, somebody should put a bell on you!" he gasped while grasping his chest; Bi-kun smiled at him and sat down next to him. "Not much of a talker, are you?" The other boy shook his head; Genai sighed.

"You know," he started after a minute, holding out an open hand in front of him, "we're the same, really. We're both chasing after something so wonderful, so amazing, but each time we get close," he closed his fist, "it slips through our fingers." After a moment, Genai turned bright red and stuttered "I-I was talking about my math grade!" Bi-kun actually laughed.

X

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Me: Alright, no matter what I try to tack onto the end of this chapter, it works best if it ends here.

Moriyama-sama: Hey, this game's pretty fun!

Me: Is he playing Chrono Trigger?

Chrono: Yes.

Moriyama-sama: Hey, authoress-baka, I found the difference between my story and this game!

Me: What?

Moriyama-sama: This guy's spelled C-R-O-N-O; mine is spelled C-H-R-N-O!

Me: …You're pathetic.

Moriyama-sama: Can we just go back to the yuri now?

Me: For the last time NO!

Chrono: Sheesh, no need to get snippy.

Me: Oh yeah? All I asked for was 16 reviews!

Chrono: You still got 10, isn't that somewhat fulfilling your "10 review per chapter" goal?

Me: …yes.

Chrono: So then what's the problem?

Me: I'm still not at my goal!

Chrono: Review yourself!

Me: …NO.

Chrono: Fine, be that way…

Me: Yeah, and I'm also a little surprised that no one said anything about the Jesse and Haley characters.

Chrono: They're gonna come back and bite me in the ass, aren't they?

Me: Um, YES?

Chrono: (groan)

Me: Oh, and I'm not sure if I've ever said this before, but…

**THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL OF YOU WHO READ** (and occasionally review) **THIS STORY!**

Chrono: And the downside?

Me: I didn't have any spillover from this chapter, so the next one's gonna take a while to get done.

Chrono: That's what I thought.

Please review:)


	26. Chapter 21 Part 3A

(I'll get around to proof reading (and possibly changing a few details) later, okay?)

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"I-I was talking about my math grade!" stuttered Genai, turning even redder; Bi-kun laughed at him.

"AHH!" the two boys stiffened at the cry; it was Charlene.

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In the Life of a Rock Star

Chapter 21 part 3A: I got flipping lazy on this chappie! Sorry…

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"Leave me alone!" cried the girl as she was thrown to the ground.

"I told you this wasn't over!" shouted a boy three times her size; it was the fifth grader from several days ago and this time he brought friends.

"What do you want, you jerk?" shouted RiRi-chan helping her friend up.

The bully snorted, cracking his knuckles. "What do I want? You just piss me off, that's all!"

"Stupid answer from a stupid kid!" grunted RiRi-chan.

"And that's exactly why you piss me off," growled the bully, waving his friends over. "Let's just see how that attitude of your holds up when you're crying for your mommy." The boy grabbed RiRi-chan's arm and jerked her backwards, then he locked both her arms behind her back painfully, making her holler.

"Leave her alone!" cried Charlene, bolting to her feet to try to save her friend. The fifth grader held out his hand in her path; before she could stop, her face smashed into the hand. Charlene stumbled backwards and fell to the ground once again, grasping her nose.

The bully laughed stupidly. "Not so tough without your little bodyguard, are you?" he sneered, twisting RiRi-chan's arms in painful directions.

That's when a fist hit him square in the face. The bully tottered for a moment, trying to regain his footing while cupping his cheek. "What the hell…?" he grumbled, peeling his eyes open; he groaned, for there was Bi-kun, showing him two tightly balled fights ready to fight. "Oh, it's just you, brat," laughed the bully nonchalantly. Bi-kun scowled, but before he could do anything, two of the attacker's friends came up behind him, grabbed him under the arms, and pinned him to the ground. "Not even a threat anymore," sneered the brut.

Then, from out of nowhere, Genai rammed the older boy, smacking him in the gut. But due to his smaller form, he just bounced right off and into the enemy's hands to be slammed against the wall. The fifth grader laughed at them again; "Pathetic!" He then turned his attention to Chrono, who was cowering under a bench. "Let's not forget Miss scaredy-skirt, shall we?"

Chrono puffed out his cheeks and whispered harshly "I am NOT a girl!"

Hardly a second before the bully reached out a hand to grab the small boy a pebble came flying at his head; needless to say it made painful contact. The boy quickly swiped away the trickle of blood it left. "Who throw that?" he yelled as another pebble came whizzing by his face.

"What a loser," drawled a boy a few feet away; he was juggling several pebbles in one hand; his other was stuffed in his pocket. "What kind of low life has to pick on a bunch of _girls_ to make himself feel important?"

"I'm not a girl!" growled Chrono again, clenching his fists.

"And just who the hell are you?" demanded the bully.

The other boy tsk-ed, hurtling another pebble at him, this time hitting his stomach. "Look, I could stand here all day beating the crap out of you, or you could just leave these girls alone; it's your choice."

"Just who the hell do you think you are?" yelled the older boy again.

"Uchiha-senpai!" shrieked RiRi-chan all of a sudden. (**A/N: "senpai" means "upper classman"**). Everyone looked over at her; she was swooning over the new boy, her eyes were even sparkling.

"U…chi…ha ah ohhh…" repeated the bully nervously; he blanched. "Well, sorry for the trouble! We'll be seeing you all!" he squeaked, waving goodbye. With that, he ran away with his freakishly large friends as fast as they could.

"What just happened?" asked Genai after a moment of complete confusion.

RiRi-chan squealed. "Uchiha-senpai happened—that's what!" she ran over to the boy and took hold of one of his hands. "Thank you so very, very much! If there's anything you would ever want us to do for you, we'd do it in a heartbeat!"

"We?" grumbled Genai hotly.

"Yes oh yes, _we'd_ be delighted to do _anything_!" squeaked Charlene, also running up to the boy and taking his other hand into her own.

Genai stared wide-eyed at them. He felt his hands twitching, suddenly wanting to tear this pretty-boy limb from limb. But unfortunately, his was still winded from being thrown against the wall and couldn't stand up.

"Well," started Uchiha slowly, "there is one thing you could do for me."

"Anything—name it!" chirped RiRi-chan, blushing madly.

"I was over at a friend's house a little while ago and I heard you playing in your garage. You're pretty good."

"You like my music?" she practically screamed. "Oh thank you so much!"

"Yeah, anyway, I as wondering if you'd like to write a few songs for me?" He said smoothly. "My friends and I are working on, let's just say, a sort of home movie collection and we need some 'theme songs', if you will." He smiled suavely at her. "Would you care to do the honors?"

RiRi-chan almost fainted. "Of course!" she shrieked. "I can have them for you by Monday!"

He chuckled at her. "That's alright, take your time; we'll be presenting our 'movies' in April at the Cherry Blossom Festival. So until then," he turned around and waved at her.

"Ohh, Uchiha-senpai…" sighed both the girls.

"Sasuke!" shouted a streak of orange as it pounced on Uchiha. "Where've you been?"

"Dammit, Uzumaki-kun," grunted the other boy, standing back up, "you're lost without me!" he took the boy's hand and started dragging him away, losing the coolness factor that he'd built up with RiRi-chan; the new boy laughed maniacally. "You need a babysitter… where's Sakura-chan?" the other boy shrugged.

"He's… still cool…" squeaked RiRi-chan.

"R-right…" murmured Charlene, nodding her head slightly.

Suddenly, RiRi-chan spun around and pointed an accusing finger at the boys. "Some help you all were!" she yelled haughtily. "If Uchiha-senpai hadn't come along when he did, ChaCha-chan and I would've been killed!"

Bi-kun stood up, walked over to RiRi-chan, and slapped her hand down. "Just shut up," he hissed, stomping away.

"What's up with him?" asked RiRi-chan curiously; Charlene shrugged. "Hey, brat!" she called over to Genai. "What's your excuse?" Genai just snorted and stalked away; RiRi-chan looked over at Chrono; "Well?"

"Don't look at me," he chirped cutely, "I'm just an innocent little girl!" he too left.

"Jeez, what's wrong with them?"

X

"Stupid Uchiha…" grumbled Genai, still furious after school. "What's your excuse?" he squeaked, imitating RiRi-chan poorly. "What the hell is wrong with her—is she blind?" he screamed, waving his arms wildly. "Feh, see if I come to her stupid band today! I might as well go home and—" he stopped; "Now that'd be just flat at stupid," he muttered, starting to walk again. "Maybe I'll just loaf with Chris—" he stopped again. "Dammit; _she'll_ be there, too!"

"Nowhere to go?" asked a voice from behind him. Genai slowly glanced backwards to see Bi-kun. "I myself am going to go hide at the park; wanna come with?"

X

Genai sighed, he knew that he would never be found at the park, but, "It's soooooooooooooooooooo boring here!" he yelled tiredly.

Bi-kun also sighed, slumping down on the bench they were sitting on. "Oh, quiet…" he mumbled. He lazily turned his gaze away from the pond he had been staring at for the last twenty minutes and gasped.

"What?" asked Genai with apathy.

"What the hell is _he_ doing here?" he screamed; Genai looked over to where his friend indicated and tsk-ed.

"It's just Chrono—get over it."

"Not him," grunted Bi-kun, rolling his eyes. "That guy he's with—it's An-chan!"

Genai once again glanced over at the two boys. "An-chan? Nah, that's just Dillon-san's little brother An…ton…" Genai looked away. "I'm starting to see the resemblance."

Before Genai could say anything else stupid, Bi-kun hopped up and marched over to the other boys. "Why are _you_ here?" he practically screamed at the taller of the two.

"And you are?" he asked sarcastically.

Bi-kun scowled. "I'm pissed at you for hitting on RiRi-chan."

"What're you, her boyfriend?" he replied smugly; Bi-kun instantly lit up.

"N-no—you st—why I oughtta—" sputtered the boy, failing to say anything coherent. Luckily, Genai caught him before he could attack the older boy and cause any real damage.

"Chrono, why are you hanging out with this guy anyway?" he asked while restraining Bi-kun.

"Chrono? Is that what they're calling you these days?" chuckled An-chan.

"Yes it is. Thank you, _Aion_." grumbled Chrono, still hating his new name.

The boy snorted. "I like my nickname, thanks. I even spell it with an 'A' just coz I'm cool!"

"More like stupid," muttered Chrono.

"Again; why are you hanging out with him?" repeated Genai, still keeping Bi-kun in check.

"We've known each other for, like, ever." Chrono shrugged, "I guess we just felt like seeing each today."

"_Chrono_," snorted Aion, laughing at his friend. "That's from _Chrono Trigger_, right?"

"Yes…" groaned the boy irritably. "What of it?"

"My sister loves that game."

"Just call me Chrono!" declared the boy, blushing and laughing.

"He's obsessed." said the other three together.

"She's too old for you," sighed Genai.

"I'll never let you have her!" huffed Aion stubbornly.

"Who're we talking about?" asked Bi-kun, totally out of the loop; the others groaned.

"Our babysitter," said Genai.

"My sister," stated Aion.

"The love of my life!" cheered Chrono.

"Oi…" muttered Bi-kun; it was going to be a long day.

X

"In retrospect, perhaps you shouldn't have yelled at the boys." sighed Charlene. "Since, after all, _you're_ the one who wanted a band."

"Oh, shut up," grumbled RiRi-chan. During lunch time, she hadn't expected the boys to actually get mad at her, so for the past hour, she and Charlene had been sitting in her garage doing absolutely nothing. "It's not my fault they're not as cool as Uchiha-senpai."

"Maybe if you'd just apologize to them, they—"

"For what?" screeched the redhead. "I didn't do anything!"

"You insulted them!" screamed Charlene back. "You pretty much told them they're weak! That's a _huge_ blow to a boy's pride!"

"So what? They got beat up!"

"Protecting us! It's even worse for them because now they think their efforts went to waste!"

"Who cares what they think? They're boys!"

Charlene shot to her feet, balling her hands. She scrunched up her face, at a loss for words—and a better comeback. She just glared at RiRi-chan a minute and then stormed away.

RiRi-chan didn't even try to stop her.

X

After a while, Genai, Aion, and Bi-kun (I'm sorry, "Viede", as dubbed by Aion because it "sounds really cool"), had managed to lead Chrono off the subject of Ma-chan and before they knew it, they had begun to wander over to RiRi-chan's house. Probably because Aion had told them that if they were real men, they would stick it to the girls for making fun of them; Viede said that that would be just plain mean, but nevertheless they felt like going to see the girls.

Unfortunately, once they got there, neither of them was in the garage. Viede knocked on the door and RiRi-chan poked her head out. "What do _you_ want?" she huffed.

"We came to talk, that's all, Sweetcheeks!" chirped Aion; RiRi-chan turned bright red right before slamming the door in their faces.

Viede slowly turned around and glared at the older boy. "Hey, you can't blame me for trying, can you? She's just such a cutie!" Viede glared even more menacingly.

"RiRi-chan?" called Genai, knocking himself this time, "Come on out, okay?"

"No!" she yelled from behind the door, "I'm not apologizing and that's that!"

The boy sigh; "What if we all just forget about the whole thing, how's that?"

"…But why's _he_ with you guys?"

Genai took a step back, slightly confused. Then he remembered Aion and rolled his eyes. "Aion—err… 'An-chan' said that he'd like to join the band, too."

"Really?" cheered the girl happily, swinging the door wide open. She hopped down the steps and got close to Aion. "And just what do you play?"

"Guitar," he said shrugging.

"Wonderful!" cooed RiRi-chan.

Viede grimaced; "Don't you think that we already have enough guitarists?"

"Well… I've always wanted to try _bass_ guitar," she giggled; Viede sighed and Aion grinned.

"Hey," said Genai, suddenly realizing something, "where's sh-…sha… _bah!_ Where's ChaCha-chan?"

RiRi-chan glanced over at him, slightly annoyed that he had interrupted her moment with An-chan. "She left a while ago." She said simply before turning back to the taller boy.

"Left…?" asked Genai vaguely. "What do you mean _left_?" he demanded, taking hold of RiRi-chan's shoulder.

"Left!" she shouted back, "As in went, walked away; is no longer here!"

"…Tell me she didn't go alone," he growled darkly.

"So what if she did?"

Genai moaned and let go of the girl, running out to the front of the garage. "Which way did she go?"

"The same direction she always does, why?"

Genai looked over his shoulder at her and gave her a very nasty look. "She's _very_ absent minded—she'd get _lost_ if she tried to go anywhere on her own. Why do you think I came with her here yesterday?"

"Because she asked you to?" Genai groaned and shot out of the garage and down the street. "What's his problem?" asked RiRi-chan indignantly.

X

Genai impatiently tapped his foot while waiting for a crosswalk. It had been well over an hour since he had left RiRi-chan's house, and he _still_ hadn't found Charlene. "Where the hell did you go?" he mumbled tiredly. A man behind him pushed him forward roughly as the light changed. Genai stumble over the curb and barely regained his balance before he could be trampled by the crowd of people on their way home from work. Once onto the other side of the street, the boy flopped down onto a bench that was in front of a brick wall. "I'm never gonna find her…" he sighed heavily.

"Find who?" came a voice from behind the wall.

Genai did a double take, jumped up onto the bench, and stood on his toes, trying to see over the wall. "WHAT THE HELL?" he screamed, glaring down at Charlene.

"Hi," she chirped, waving up at him.

"How long have you been sitting here?" he grumbled angrily.

The girl shrugged; "I got lost, found this place, and so I just sat down."

Genai looked over at the building she was facing; the ice cream shop; he groaned. "Look, just come on, and…" he stopped; he had lost balance and started to fall over the wall. "AAH!" he cried as he did a face-plant into the bench she was on. She laughed as he slowly squirmed into a normal seated position. "That _wasn't funny_," he grumbled, grasping his bleeding nose.

"I-I know," she gasped, still laughing. "Y-you just fell, like you were in slow motion…!"

Genai turned bright red as the girl continued laughing at his blunder. "Hey," he started after a minute, "don't run off like that again, okay?"

"Why does it matter if I do or not?"

"Because!" shouted the boy, whipping around to face her, "You said it yourself; you got lost! What am I supposed to if you get lost forever?"

"Get a new tutor?" asked Charlene bluntly; Genai fell over.

"Think about the big picture!" he screamed, totally flustered.

Charlene put a finger to her bottom lip in concentration. "Umm… My family would miss me?"

_'Does she REALLY not get it?'_ thought Genai crossly. He groaned and hung his head; "Exactly," he sighed. "But don't forget that your friends would be sad if you disappeared, too."

Charlene snorted; "Are you saying that _you'd_ be sad, too?"

"Yes!" squeaked the boy, turning red again; she began to laugh at him again. "C-come on," he ordered, taking her hand into his own, "the others are waiting for us!"

X

"Alrighty," barked RiRi-chan once they had all assembled, "at the start of April, as most of you know, there is an annual Cherry Blossom Festival that's held in the park. Uchiha-senpai and his friends are working on something for the festival, and he's asked _us_ to create some music for it. He asked for four songs, all of them are to be rock/pop. We have nine months to do this; any questions?"

"Uh, yeah," said Viede, raising his hand. "_Why_ are we doing this?"

"Because," said a voice, coming into the garage from the house, "it's your big break through!"

"What the hell are _you_ doing?" cried Aion.

"Mom sent me to get you," said Ma-chan casually, "but that's not the point! You guys are rising stars! You're gonna be big, I just know it!"

"Why do you even care, Sis?"

"Well, Baby Brother," Ma-chan paused a moment. "…I want in on it." She said bluntly. "I'll damned if I'm going to be a babysitter, or a nanny, or a convenient store clerk for the rest of my life. I want fame, fortune—the works!"

"Sorry," sighed Aion uninterestedly, "we have enough musicians as it is."

"Oh no, no, no…" she cooed evilly, "I don't wanna play—I wanna manage you all!"

"You want to be our permanent nanny?" asked RiRi-chan.

"NO! Not like that! I mean like do the bills, set up recording sessions, stuff like that."

"The bills…?"

Ma-chan sighed; "So you all can drop out of school and focus on the music."

…

…

…

"WOOHOO!" cheered the little kids. "All hail Ma-chan! 'Manager-chan'!"

"But I like school…" whimpered Charlene.


	27. Chapter 21 Part 3B

Me: O.o …

Chrono: What happened _this_ time?

Me: I got a review…

Chrono: You get lots of reviews.

Me: No; I got a _real_ review. Like a critique, an evaluation, an assessment—suggestions on how to make the story better!-!

Chrono: Ouch.

Me: NO! No 'ouch'—'hooray's! Lots and lots of 'hooray's! This is like the happiest day of my life!

Chrono: Then you've had a pitiful life.

Me: That's beside the point. It's just that it made me so happy that someone took the time to analyze my story and tell me stuff that I'd already figured out!

Chrono: Which is…?

Me: That it's declining in value, the earliest chapters were the best, and that I'm straying from the actual story.

Chrono: (GASP!) There's a _story_ in this?-! I had NO idea!

Me: …Do you remember the freakishly large, super-bulked guy with the pointy axe?

Chrono: (gulp) Yes…

Me: Then shut up.

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In the Life of a Rock Star

Chapter 21 part 3B: There's no such thing as happily ever after…

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**(AUGUST!) **

"Alright, does anyone have any ideas for songs?" asked RiRi-chan; everyone shook their head. "Oi…"

"Sorry I'm late!" cried Genai, skidding to a halt with his keyboard under his arm.

"'Bout time! Where were you?"

The boy laughed nervously. "Sorry… I had to run into my house and grab this," he held up the keyboard.

"Oh—what happened to your eye?" cried Charlene worriedly, scuttling up to the boy.

"It's nothing…" he muttered, covering his black-eye. "I just, uh… got into a fight with… um, with these punks, yeah. This is _all_ they gave me; you should have seen what _they_ ran away with!"

Charlene frowned; "Well, just don't get into anymore fights, okay?"

"Alright,"

"You!" yelled RiRi-chan, pointing harshly at Genai, "Since you're late, _you_ have to come up with the first song!"

"What? That's so unfair!"

"Well, then you better get started." muttered the girl menacingly.

X

X

X

**(SEPTEMBER!) **

****

"Uchiha-senpai is gonna kill us…" whimpered RiRi-chan.

"It's only been a month; we still have plenty of time." said Chrono, tuning his guitar. "Besides, what's the big deal with this guy, anyway?"

RiRi-chan glared at him. "Ma-chan," she spat quietly; Chrono instantly turned red. "That's what he's like to me."

"If you like him so much, then why don't you marry him?" grumbled Viede.

"That's my dream!" cooed the girl cutely; Viede groaned. "But… I'll never get to be his bride if we can't come up with any songs…" she whimpered pathetically.

_FLOP!_

Everyone looked at the floor; a blue notebook had just been tossed from unknown origins and was now sitting in the middle of everything.

…

…

…

"Well aren't you gonna open it?" yelled Genai, blushing brightly.

"You mean _you_ threw it?" asked RiRi-chan, picking up the book; the boy nodded hastily. RiRi-chan flipped it open, gasped, and grinned evilly. "Don't tell me _you_ wrote this," she snickered.

"What of it?" he grumbled defensively.

_Futari ga kitto deaeruyouna mahou wo kakete_ (To make sure the two of us meet, I cast a spell)_  
Ryoute wo sotto kasanetehora hohoemukara_ (Our hands are gently touching, and then you look at me and smile)

They all stared at RiRi-chan as she sung from the book; except for Genai, he was trying to find something to kill himself with.

_Honto no kimochi kitsukanai furishite_ (We pretend not to realize how we really feel)_  
Totsuzen futari koi ni ochitano_ (And suddenly, we fell in love)

RiRi-chan paused and looked up at the inspired writer, grinning even more viciously.

_Ooh- ooh, ooh-ooh, yeah_

She sang more slowly.

_  
Ooh- ooh, ooh-ooh, yeah  
Ooh- ooh, ooh-ooh, yeah_

She paused again to make sure everyone was paying attention. Then, she practically blurted out (instead of singing);

_Let Me Be With You_

They all started cracking up, and poor Genai had long since collapsed in a dark corner of shame, wishing he had remembered to tear that one out.

"That was the wrong song!" he screamed, jumping up after taking a few minutes to recover. He marched up to RiRi-chan, snatched the book away, and turned to the first page, thrusting it back at her. "Try _this_ one," he hissed, stomping over to a chair and flopping down.

RiRi-chan cleared her throat, still laughing from the previous song. But at last she was able to start anew.

_fumikomu ze akuseru  
kakehiki wa nai sa sou dayo  
yoru wo nukeru  
nejikomu sa saigo ni  
sashihiki zero sa sou dayo  
hibi wo kezuru_

The girl stopped singing again and looked back at Genai. "_This_ is a song for Uchiha-senpai, isn't it?"

"Ya' think?" he spat indignantly.

"Good work," she chirped, closing the book. "But still…" she grinned wickedly again, "who was that _other_ song for?"

Genai turned bright red again. "N-no one!" he squeaked. "It was just… um… I mean…" he trailed off and looked away, still red as a tomato.

"Well at least say her name," whispered the girl, leaning down to him so none of the others could hear.

"I can't," he grumbled, trying to look away.

"You can't, or you _won't_?" she asked, smirking.

"I _can't_," he repeated, "I have a speech problem."

"Oh… 'ya mean like with pronouncing foreign words and whatnot?" he nodded. "Okay," she clapped her hands together and turned to Charlene. "Hey ChaCha-chan, we need a new nickname for you!" Genai lit up even more; he covered his face.

"What's wrong with 'ChaCha-chan'?" she asked, blinking at the other girl.

"That one's just a smidge too personal—you want one that _anybody_ could use!" said RiRi-chan, coming up and wrapping her arm around the girl.

"I do?"

"Sure!" cooed RiRi-chan. "Now let's see, how about…" she furrowed her brow in concentration. "I know! How about 'Sheda'?"

"Sh-Shader? Wh-where did _that_ come from?"

RiRi-chan looked back over at Genai. "What do _you_ think, Genai? Pretty cute, ne?"

"Sh-sheda…" he whispered under his breath. "Yeah," he smiled, "yeah, that _is_ pretty cute…!"

This time it was Shader's turn to blush. She bowed her head and started to twiddle her thumbs. "O-okay… Shader sounds good to me…" she muttered nervously.

X

X

X

**(OCTOBER!) **

****

"You know, I've always wanted to live in America." said Shader, walking through the front gates of school with Chrono.

"Why's that?"

"Coz I've always wanted to go Trick or Treating!" she chirped, putting a little skip in her step.

"What's 'Trick or Treating'?" asked her cousin stupidly.

Shader giggled; "It's a night when kids get to go out and collect candy from all their neighbors while wearing scary costumes!"

"Looks like Genai's already wearing one." Chrono pointed over to some benches where they could see said boy with bandages wrapped around his head. "If he's going to be a mummy, then I wanna be a vampire, or maybe a demon!" said Chrono, attempting to make monster faces, totally oblivious to the fact that Shader was rushing over to his best friend.

"Genai!" cried Shader, skidding to a halt in front of him. "Don't tell me you got into another fight!"

The boy blinked at her, surprised by her sudden appearance, but after a moment he shook his head and smiled weakly at her. "Sorry," he whispered. His voice was hoarse and Shader could see bruise marks on his throat; she frowned.

"Don't tell me you're sorry," she pouted, "just don't get into anymore fights!"

"I can't help it," he wheezed, "it's not like I go up to people and say 'hey look, I'm a punching bag'!"

"But it seems like every week you show up with worse and worse injuries, why does this keep happening to you?" he shrugged. "I know what is," said the girl, dead serious. Genai turned to look at her directly; afraid that she knew what was really going on. "It's because you hang out with _me_ isn't it?"

Genai fell over, completely taken off guard by her conclusion. "Wh-what makes you think that?" he asked anxiously.

"Because!" she cried, thinking that that would be enough. Genai stared at her, rolling his hand, motioning her to continue. "Because… before you met me, Chrono told me how cool you were—are. And well… maybe people keep picking on you because you hang out with me and I'm such a nerd. I could understand if you don't want to be around me anymore."

Genai placed his hand over her mouth lightly. "Don't say that," he sighed. "I like to spend time with you; I think you're a really fun person. And besides, if anyone every said anything bad about you, _they'd_ be the ones walking away beaten to a pulp."

"Why would you beat someone up for talking bad about me?" asked Shader innocently.

"W-well," stuttered the boy, turning away with his cheeks flushing. "I-It's because I… I li—"

"Shader!" yelled Chrono, suddenly standing by the two. "How could you just leave me standing over there looking like an idiot?"

"Because you _are_ an idiot?" grumbled Genai.

"What'd you say?" growled Chrono.

"Ohh, nothing…!" chirped the other boy.

"Yeah, right…" he grumbled. "Oh yeah," Chrono looked over at his cousin, "so about what you were saying before; how come you have to dress up to get the candy? Why can't you just look really cute for people instead?"

Shader laughed at him. "Because, silly, it's also called Beggar's Night; a time when ghosts and ghouls come out! It just works better to be scary than cute."

"I still don't get it…" sighed the boy.

"Oh," said Genai all of a sudden. He started rummaging through his school bag until he pulled out two things; a set of cat ears and a set of bunny ears. "That reminds me: RiRi-chan was telling me how much you like Halloween the other day and when I saw this in a shop window, I thought you might like it." He handed the animal ears to an exited Shader who was smiling brightly at him. "Sorry; I wasn't really sure which one you'd like more so I got them both."

"They're so cute!" chirped the girl. "Thank you so much!" Genai laughed nervously, turning even redder. Shader put on the cat ears first. "How do I look?" she asked, pretending to paw at the ears.

"Well…"

"SCORE!" shouted a girl, grabbing the bunny set. "This is totally what I've been looking for! Hey girls, come see!" It was girl about their age with white hair and a white version of the school uniform on. Her friends that came running over were also colored coded; one was pink, another was blue, another purple… All together they looked like a pastel rainbow.

"What'd you find, Berri-chan?" asked the yellow one.

"Only the most adorable thing ever!" chirped the little thief, holding up the bunny accessories.

"Yay, you've completed your outfit!" cheered the red one.

"Hey, wait!" yelled Genai, "You can't have those; they're not yours!"

"Oh really? Are they _yours_ then?" asked the blue one snootily. "Coz that'd make you pretty girly…"

"It's alright…" said Shader, "They can have them if it's okay with you," she looked over at Genai; he sighed and nodded. "That's good! Coz as long as I can keep my kitty ears I'm fine!"

"Don't worry about that," chirped the pink one pointing to _her_ cat ears; "we've already got some!"

"What's with you guys?" said Chrono skeptically. "Are you a gang or something?" Before any of them answered, the blue one took some of Chrono's hair into her hand and started playing with it. "What're doing?"

"Ya' know… His hair looks exactly like Zakuro's before she dyed it."

"Hey, yeah, you're right!" said the green one.

"What're you talking about?" asked Chrono suspiciously.

"Your hair is the same brown that Zakuro's used to be." said the green one, indicating the purple girl's hair. "If you dyed _your_ hair purple, I bet it'd look really cute, too."

Chrono stared at them dumbly for a minute before, "No _way_ would I _ever_ dye _my_ hair _purple_!"

"Aw, come on!" squeaked the little yellow one. "Dying and bleaching hair is all the rage!"

"Bleaching, eh…?" said Genai quietly. "Chrono, I do believe we have an after school project today." He said, grinning evilly.

X

RiRi-chan and Viede stared at their fellow band members the next day at school and asked, "What the hell did you do to your hair?"

The silver-haired Shader, the purple-haired Chrono, and the white-haired Aion and Genai just grinned stupidly at them.

X

X

X

**(NOVEMBER!)**

"Honestly," sighed Shader, "if this keeps up, I'm just going to have tie you down to a tree."

"I'm not sure that would solve anything…" laughed Genai; Shader puffed out her cheeks and lightly smacked his head. "Ow!" he grunted, rubbing his head with his free hand; Shader was wrapping his other arm in bandages to stop it from bleeding.

"Jeez, what happened _this_ time?" asked Aion.

"Knife fight," sighed the other two.

"Ya' know if this keeps happening, I'm afraid that we're going to have to kick you out of the band." pouted RiRi-chan.

"And why's that?" huffed Genai.

"Because all you do is get beat up and make poor little Shader fix you."

"Okay, first off; _she's_ the one who decides to help me; I'm not forcing her to do anything. And second; _I_ keep this band alive."

"How so?"

"Tell me, _who_ comes up with all the songs, _who_ has been writing out all the sheet music, and _who_ has been coordinating all this with Ma-chan and your little boyfriend-senpai?" RiRi-chan glared at him before sticking her tongue out and turning away. "That's what I thought…" muttered the boy.

"Hey, Shader!" called Chrono, running into the garage, "You got mail!"

"From who?"

Chrono shrugged and handed her the letter. "I don't know; all it says is 'HJO and JM'." She made a face as she tore open the envelope. She shook it and out fell a letter and a photo. Chrono grabbed the photo and made a disgusted face. "Oh, it's _them_…"

Before Shader looked at the picture, she began to read the letter aloud. "Hello, Miss Charlene. I know that it may seem terribly strange that we are writing to you seeing as how you never gave us anything more than a first name, but with my brother's excellent hacking skills, we figured, 'how many Charlene-s could there be on the 10 o'clock flight to Osaka on that _one_ day?' So that's how we found you. Really, it was _I_ that wanted to talk to you again; my brother only did the hacking. I just wanted to say that we had a safe trip and are living wonderfully with our uncle, Mickey. And I hope that you're having a happy Thanksgiving. I hope to hear from you in the future, signed Haley." Shader looked up at Chrono who showed her the picture; it was both Haley and Jesse with (supposedly) their uncle in front of a feast-covered dining table in a room jam-packed with Disney stuff.

"That idiot," snorted Chrono, "he says to write back but he forgot to put a return address on the envelope; all it has are their initials."

"You can't blame them for trying," said Shader as she folded the letter. "And it was pretty nice of them to write."

"You've gotta be kidding," grumbled Chrono, "I _hate_ those two."

"Don't be so hard on them," sighed his cousin, "they're just trying to be friendly."

"You don't," whispered Genai, "you don't _like_ them, do you?"

"Sure I do!" chirped Shader brightly. "They're great!" Genai frowned and shrugged his bandaged arm away from the girl, turning away without saying anything. "What's wrong?" she asked; he kept silent.

RiRi-chan giggled to herself; _'That boy is just too sweet,'_ she thought.

X

X

X

****

**(DECEMBER!) **

"You're kidding," grumbled Genai.

"Only as much as you are," retorted Chrono.

"You don't have that kind of money."

"Neither do you."

The two boys were standing by themselves, in the middle of a crowded street, shin-deep in snow, staring up at a fancy jewelry store window.

"You just _can't_ ask Ma-chan to marry you!" yelled Genai harshly. "There are too many things wrong with it!"

"Hey, _you_ want a ring too, so _your_ sweetheart is also probably a lot older!"

"For your information, she's _younger_ than me! And she is so _not_ my sweetheart!" he cried, blushing darkly.

"Then what're you getting her a ring for?-!"

"I never said I was!"

"Then why'd you come here?"

"To keep _you_ from doing something stupid!"

"I don't need a chaperone!"

"No, you just need some commonsense!"

"Oh, shut up!" yelled Chrono as he and Genai started duking it out in the middle of the sidewalk. "No matter what anybody says, Ma-chan and I _will_ live happily ever after!"

"You are such a baby! Things like that never happen in real life! There's no such thing as 'happily ever after'!"

X

X

X

****

**(JANUARY!) **

(…The most eventful thing that happened in this particular month was RiRi-chan's birthday. And in honor of a random book that she picked up on a whim, she was then dubbed 'Rizelle' by Shader. That is all…)

X

X

X

****

**(FEBRUARY!) **

Whether it be because he's cute, younger, or perhaps she's just that dense, Ma-chan accepted Chrono's Valentine's chocolates with a smile, telling him how sweet he was for it; she only fueled his resolve. Chrono was in super-floaty mode the rest of the day.

As for Genai, he would've made this Valentine's Day the one to confess his true feelings to Shader and shower her with gifts if it hadn't been for the fact that due to him showing up with 2nd degree burns all over his hands, she was too mad to even face him.

"You know, you're never gonna be able to speak to her again unless to stop getting into all these fights." sighed Aion as he was the one stuck having to bandage the poor boy since Shader refused to help.

"Trust me," grumbled Genai, wincing slightly at Aion's lack of care while helping him, "if I could, I would."

"Uh huh…" muttered the other boy, "Seems to me like it shouldn't be _that_ hard—I don't even ever see you fighting. My guess is that you do it at night. So just _stay in your house_."

Genai scowled, wrenching his hands away as his friend finished his work. "If only it were that simple…" he murmured grimly.

"Alright, I've decided to forgive you!" declared Shader, appearing at the door. She straightened herself up as much she could and marched into the nearly deserted classroom. "I've realized that I can't be mad and avoid you forever, seeing as how I tutor you every day after school, so I've come up with a compromise." She stopped in front of Genai and crossed her arms, glaring down at him sternly. "I'll still talk to you if and only if you stop getting into fights. And I swear, if you show up to school_ one more time_ with any injuries of any kind, I'm gonna tell the teachers and get you into loads of trouble!"

Genai stared up at her, blinking stupidly; he smiled warmly at her. "Deal!"

Shader's glare melted into a sigh of relief as she flopped down in the desk next to Aion's. "Finally…!" she griped. "I hate seeing you all beat up like this!"

"This'll be the last time, 'kay?"

"EEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKK!-!-!" all three of them flinched at the loud cry and then turned to look into the hall just in time to see two boys fly passed the room. Genai, Shader, and Aion got up and peered out the doorway at the boys, almost getting their heads cut off as they did so.

"SOHMA-SAN! SOHMA-KUN! WAIT FOR UUUUSSSSSSS!-!-!" cried the swarm of girls that were chasing them. As the horde disappeared around a corner, the trio saw the two boys that were being chased hiding in the room across from theirs.

"I so hate Valentines…" grumbled the orange-haired boy as he slowly crept out from the dark classroom.

"You're just saying that because you know that Kagura-chan will be waiting for you at home." Sighed the silver-haired boy tiredly. The two boys stopped and gawked at the little band members that they just noticed staring at them. "Umm…"

"AHH—If you three breathe so much as a word to those damn fangirls, I'll—I'll—" growled the orange one.

"Hey, guys!" chirped Chrono, suddenly appearing on the scene. He spotted the Sohmas and gasped. "Omigosh! You're Prince Yuki!" As if called by an unseen force, the swarm of girls came running back down the hall, but stopped when they saw Chrono; he just blinked at them cutely.

"He's… he's…" came a murmur from the crowd. "SO CUTE!-!" they screamed as they switched focus from the other two boys onto Chrono.

On February 14, when he was only seven years old, Chrono had to outrun his first flock of fangirls.

X

X

X

****

**(MARCH!) **

"I hate him." she chimed with a bright smile on her face. "I hate him with all my heart and will never speak to him again." Obviously Shader was referring to Genai as 'him' even though he was standing right in front of her because she was no longer speaking to him. And all though there was no one else around, she still would not technically speak to him.

"It was an accident!" he cried, hobbling after her.

Shader growled, and just as he was walking by, she grabbed Viede's arm and started screaming at him. "Can you believe this? After all those times I told him to stop getting into fights, and a whole month without injuries, he goes and breaks his leg!"

"It's a sprain!" shouted Genai defensively.

"And can you believe that he's trying to pass it off as an 'accident'? That's total bull crap!" shrieked the girl once more in Viede's face.

"Can't you talk to _him_ about it?" he whimpered pathetically under the girl's wrath.

"NO! I'm not speaking to him ever again, got it?"

Viede scowled. "Well maybe if you'd actually _listen_ to him instead of being all psycho about it, you'd learn that it really _was_ an accident!"

"Prove it," she huffed, crossing her arms.

"On my way to school this morning, when I passed by his house, I saw him sprawled out in front of his door grasping his ankle. 'Ah man,' he said, 'I guess I wasn't awake yet and I tripped over the front step.' So I got him back to my house and my mom drove us to the hospital. He _accidentally_ sprained his ankle; end of story."

Shader gave Viede a good look over and sighed. As the bell rang for school to begin, she glared at Genai and hissed, "There's no step to your front door", before stalking off to class.

(A/N: Don't believe me? Well you can go back to part 2 and on their way to RiRi-chan's house for the first time I give a description of Genai's house. Check it; I dare you. x3 )

X

X

X

**(APRIL!) **

****

"You all have worked hard this past year," said Maggie, (Ma-chan's _new_ nickname as of her 16th birthday), "you've put in countless hours, and now it's finally going to pay off."

"Coz tomorrow is the Cherry Blossom Festival that Uchiha-senpai is performing at!" cheered Rizelle.

"Goody…" drawled Viede. "He already has the songs on disc, right? So we don't have to watch his stupid movies?"

Rizelle groaned, "_Yes_, but we're still going to watch it." Viede groaned.

"All right," said Maggie, clapping her hands together, "you all have a big night, not to mention school, tomorrow, so I want you all to go home and get a good night's sleep so you can be rested and ready. Got it?"

"Hai!" came a collective shout from the saluting band.

"Hey, Chrono!" called Genai as the band was packing up. He dashed over to his friend and laughed a little. "Hey… do you think I could stay at your house tonight?"

Chrono sighed and shut the locks on his guitar case louder than he had to. "I'm starting to think you _live_ at my house. Besides, Shader's totally fed up with you and I need to practice my speech for Maggie."

"What speech?" asked Genai dumbly.

Chrono clasped his hands together and went off into his own world for a minute. "My speech that will finally get Maggie to be my girlfriend!" he declared cutely; then he got serious again. "Gene; go home." He then picked up his guitar and left with his cousin, who was still furious with Genai from his ankle incident two weeks ago in March.

Genai was the last one out of the garage, and even after everyone else had left, he stood out on the dark street for a few minutes, debating what to do. Eventually he sighed and met his inevitable fate, shuffling down to his house. He stared at the front door a moment before opening it as softly as he could, praying that they wouldn't hear him, but the second he stepped in, he was greeted by furious screams.

X

"WHAAAAAAAATTTTTT?" Shader glanced into the classroom on her way down to her locker after school. She saw Rizelle falling to the ground in the fetal position along with some other girls. They were rocking back and forth muttering, "It can't be true…it's _not_ true…"

"Ummmm…What're you doing?" asked the cat-girl.

Rizelle glanced up at her with blank eyes and whispered, "The orange boy…it's…the orange boy…it can't be true, it just can't…I was supposed to be his bride—but the orange boy…" she shuddered and then hissed angrily, "The _orange_ boy…"

Shader decided it was best to just back out of the room quietly and ask her friend again later on when she was less traumatized.

On her way down the nearly empty hall to her locker, Shader stopped by the music room, stunned by a beautiful song originating from within. She crept up to the doorway and peered in; someone was at the piano, but she couldn't tell who. She stood outside the door, pressing up against the wall so that she wouldn't disturb whoever it was in there that was playing the brilliant concert. As the minutes ticked away and the music only became more and more wonderful, Shader found herself waltzing to the melody. Unfortunately, she got carried away and waltzed herself right into the music room in plain view of the pianist.

She only noticed her blunder because as soon as she spun around in the middle of the room, the music paused and her eyes shot open. "I-I'm so sorry!" she squeaked, not facing the musician. "Y-you're song was so beautiful that I-I just couldn't h-help myself!" she bowed as deeply as she could until she heard a familiar voice ask, "Sheda?" The girl looked up slowly to see Genai staring at her from behind the raised cover; she screamed.

"What's wrong?" yelled the boy as he slapped his hands over his ears.

"G-Genai!" she shrieked. "W-what're _you_ doing here? Where'd that great pianist go?"

He scowled at her. "And what makes you think that _I_ wasn't the one playing?" he asked indignantly.

She snorted, trying to stifle her laughs. "_YOU_?" she practically screamed. "You're Genai—you need help in every subject—including _lunch_!"

His scowl deepened as he crossed his arms. "And what does any of _that_ have to do with my abilities on the piano?"

"Well…" she started, calming down a bit. "I'm just saying that you're…err…not _mentally challenged_…more like _stupid_, or just a little _slow_…"

The boy clenched his teeth, holding back tears. "Oh yeah?" he yelled, not meaning to. "Who's to say that I'm not actually a genius with perfect grades and thinking ability? Maybe I just like spending time with you; did you ever think of that?"

Shader seemed stunned by his outburst, but after a moment, she couldn't hold it in; she burst out laughing, unwillingly falling to the floor.

"It's not funny!" he screamed at the top of his lungs; tears were streaming down his cheeks, but Shader was laughing too hard to notice. "Why don't you believe me?"

"B-because…" gasped the girl. "Because y-you're…you're _useless_…!"

Genai felt his arms go limp at his sides and a voice flood back into his mind.

_"You're useless!" "You worthless piece of crap…!" "It's YOUR fault that he died!"_

Genai sniffled, ready to cry. But not just tears, he was about to bawl; sob his heart out. Without another word to his friend, he spun on his heel and ran from the room. It was several minutes before Shader realized he had gone.

(A/N: There is a link on my profile page that will take you to a midi of the song Genai was playing. Look into it, it's a very pretty song.)

X

"Where they hell is he?" griped Maggie later that night. The entire band was supposed to meet in RiRi-chan's garage so that they could all go to the festival together; but Genai still wasn't there. Maggie groaned; "That's it, we're going now and he can just find us later!" she began to storm out onto the street when Shader spoke up.

"You guys can go," she squeaked, "I'll stay here a little longer and wait for him."

Maggie was about to argue when Shader smiled at her brightly, reassuring her that she'd be fine. "Oh all right," sighed the manager. "But keep an eye on a clock; if he's not here in thirty minutes, then you can go ahead and come over to the shrine for the festival." She narrowed her gaze. "You won't get lost, will you?"

Shader laughed at the older girl, shaking her head. "Nope!" she chirped. "The shrine is really close to here and there are plenty of signs pointing it out—there's no way I could get lost."

"All right…" said Maggie skeptically, "We'll see you in a little bit… Come on guys! Especially _you_, Ototo-chan!"

"Geez, don't call me that…" grumbled Aion, cheeks flushing a light rose.

Shader waved goodbye to the yukata clad group and as soon as they were gone, she glanced down at her watch; 6:45. She'd wait for him until 7:15, then she'd leave; as simple as that. He was just running late, that's all; he should be here in five minutes tops.

(**Ototo-chan**: a cute way of saying 'little brother'. **Yukata**: a light, spring/summer version of a kimono.)

X

Shader sighed; 7:30. She had given Genai an extra 15 minutes to show up, so where the hell is he?-! "I can't take this anymore…" she groaned as she stood up; she had to stretch before moving, though; her legs had fallen asleep. She closed the garage and started walking down the street; Genai's house was on the way to the shrine. She saw that his brother's car was in the driveway and there were lights on and thought that maybe she should go up and knock to see if he was there. She was about to go up to the door when it swung open and a figure came flying out.

"That's right, you better run!" came the slurred yell of an overweight man in the doorway; he was shaking his fist at the person who had run out. "Good for nothing son of a bitch!" he threw a half empty beer bottle at the small figure and hit it square on the head; the person grasped his skull painfully.

"Go to hell!" he screamed at the man in the doorway. Shader's heart skipped a beat. The figure that had ran out of the house, even though she couldn't see him clearly in the early dark night, she realized it was Genai.

"You fucking—you get you ass back in here right now!" screamed the man.

"Make me, you whore-groping bastard!"

Without any warning, the man stumbled out of the house, and for someone his size, he was fast. He tackled Genai to the ground and began punching his face in, all the while yelling threats at him. Shader could only watch, horrified, as she crouched down and clung to a fence, the only thing between her and the fight, praying that the man wouldn't spot and come after her, too.

After a few minutes, Shader thought that Genai was dead, but he proved her wrong by finally retaliating against the drunken man by kicking him in the face, giving him just enough time to slip out from underneath him, get to his feet, and start running as fast as he could.

"That's right, keep running!" shouted the man, tottering as we walked. "Coz you're never going to come back here, got it? If you ever show your ugly little face again, I'll kill you! You hear me? I'll kill you, you bastard!"

Genai kept running for his life, not even bothering to shout something back at the man. Once the boy was out of sight, the man spat on the ground, kicked the beer bottle he had thrown, and went back into the house, slamming the door behind him.

Shader's heart was racing; terrified that the man would come back out the second she made a move. But once she was fairly sure that he wouldn't, she made a run for it, dashing after Genai as fast as her yukata would allow. The dim street lights barely allowed her to see which way her friend had gone, but she could always pick him out in the distance, and would always sprint faster when he rounded a corner. The streets were deserted; everyone was at the festival. Which was a good thing because Genai seemed to ignore all crosswalks and stop signs; if there had been any cars or people out, he'd be dead already.

The last Shader saw of him, Genai had hopped the school fence and crawled through an open window. The girl stopped at the window, gasping for air before she could continue. She had no idea how tired she really was until she squeezed into the building and collapsed onto the floor, unable to get up for several minutes. Once her breathing had slowed, she could hear footsteps and sobs echoing throwing the halls. A door opened and closed, followed by a loud clattering of metal objects being thrown to the floor; he was in the kitchen.

Shader shakily stood up, forcing away the throbbing pains shooting through her legs; she began to run to Genai. Once at the door, she stumbled through to see him leaning over a counter, grasping something, still sobbing. "Ge…Genai…" she breathed, still exhausted from all the running.

The boy flinched at his name but didn't turn around to look at her. "Why are you here?" he choked out.

"Why?" she practically screamed, throwing her arms in the air. "First you're late to our meeting, then I see you almost beaten to death by your brother, and now you're here at our school when we should be at the festival! Why shouldn't I be here?"

"He's not," spat the boy, "He's not my brother… No way in hell that that bastard's my brother…!"

"But… the car…"

Genai snorted, laughing bitterly at his friend's assumption. "I lied. I lie about a lot of things. That bastard's my father, not my brother. My brother is dead. He died over two years ago in the air force. This is his jacket…" he whispered, holding out his arm to indicate the bomber jacket he always wore. "After that, my mom left my father, and then he started drinking. He got mad at me, said it was _my_ fault that my brother died. Then he…"

"He hurt you…" whispered Shader. She felt tears of her own slipping down her cheeks. How could she not have known? How could she not have realized what was going on? It all started to come together. Why he didn't want her to meet his parents, why he was always so nervous when he would talk about the fights, why he slept over at hers and Chrono's so often… She hated herself. Shader actually started to hate herself the more she thought about it. She was supposed to be brilliant—close to a genius. So why was it that when one of the people close to her was suffering so much, why couldn't she see it? Why did she never notice the strain in his voice; the sadness in his eyes?

"I'm sorry!" she blurted, sobbing all out now. "I'm so sorry!" She began to rub her eyes fiercely, trying to make the tears stop; all the while she had started hiccupping. "I should have seen your pain! I should've done something! I… I…"

"Hey," said Genai firmly. Shader looked up at him to see him looking over his shoulder at her. "Stop that; you've got nothing to cry about."

"But—"

"No buts; _I_ was the one trying to hide everything, so don't even _think_ about blaming yourself for any of this."

"Why, though? Why wouldn't you tell anyone about this?" she cried, still swiping tears from her eyes.

He smiled softly at her, turning around to look at her completely; though he still held one hand behind his back, clutching whatever he had grabbed from the counter. "Because… I didn't want to tell you because I knew you'd worry over me like this. I knew it would make you sad and I hate… I hate making you cry, just like you are now…"

Shader sniffled, gazing into his eyes. "Why would you care so much about making me cry?"

"Because… you're… important to me… I care for you…" he looked away slightly, cheeks growing hotter by the second.

"Y-you do…?"

"Y-yeah…"

She smiled tenderly at him, tears finally beginning to stop. "Coz… I feel the same way…"

"You do?" he asked quietly, gazing at her hopefully.

"Of course," she giggled, "how could I not?"

"…Thank you," he breathed, "you mean so much to me. Sheda, I li—"

"You're just like a brother to me!" she said with a smile.

Both of Genai's hands went dumb; he dropped the knife he had been holding behind his back, luckily missing his feet. "A… a brother…?" he repeated hollowly.

"Of course!" she chirped happily. "My mom and I aren't really that close, so you and Chrono are like the only family I have left. You both mean the world to me!"

Genai didn't know what to do. He couldn't bring himself to smile at her, and he couldn't stand the thought of being her brother. He wanted to cry. He wanted to scream at her. He seriously considered picking up that knife and doing what he came here to do. But when he looked at her, and saw how sincere and innocent her love for him was, he just couldn't kill himself. She might never see him they way he wants her to, and she may never love him the way he loves her.

_'But… but as long as she's happy,'_ he thought. _'As long as I can make her smile and keep her from being lonely, from feeling the kind of sadness and pain that I've felt… then it's enough. I can be content with just being near her and protecting her… and as long as she's happy… I'm happy…'_

He didn't know how, but somehow he managed to smile at her; and it was an honest, loving smile. "I'm glad…" he whispered, "I'm glad that you can think of me that way… even though I've lied to you so much."

"No matter…" she started, coming up to him and taking his hands into her own. "No matter how much you lie to me… or say bad things… you will always, always be my big brother…" she murmured, wrapping her arms around him gently.

Genai couldn't help it. He loved her too much to deny her a brother, and as long as she thinks of him this way, she'll always have one. "Yeah," he whispered, pulling her into an embrace, "because you're my sweet little sister…" he rested his head on her shoulder. They were the same height now, but in a few years, he'd be taller. And that'd only make him more like the older brother she wanted. If he let himself cry now, she wouldn't feel the tears through her shirt, but in a few years, she'd be able to feel them through her hair. Now was the only time he could let his weakness show, but this is also when she needs a brother the most. And besides; brothers need to be strong for their little sisters. But still… he needed to let himself slip, just this once.

"I love you…" he whispered into her ear.

He could feel her smile into his shoulder as she answered back, "I love you, too, Oniichan…"

"Hey," he said, suddenly remembering something. "Don't we have a festival to go to?"

(**Oniichan**: older brother.)

X

"Oh my gosh, do you two know what time it is?" cried Rizelle when Shader and Genai finally showed. "Eww… what happened to your face?"

"Uhh…" Genai put a hand up to his bruised cheek, at a loss for an explanation.

"Do you really have to ask?" sighed Shader. "It was another fight, what else?" she shook her head as she walked passed her friend, hoping that she'd buy the excuse.

Rizelle puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms. "That's it!" she cried. "No more! You're officially _out_ of the band, Genai!"

The boy stared at her dumbly for a minute; then he snorted. "Yeah, right," he muttered, "I'll give it three days before you change your mind."

"I'm serious!" shrieked the girl. "You've put us through too much grief and I won't take it anymore!"

Genai shook his head knowingly. "But then who'll write all the songs if I'm not around?" Rizelle opened her mouth for a comeback, but she stopped. She closed her mouth, shook a finger, and gave him the evil eye. "That's what I thought," he whispered, smirking at her.

"Come on guys," shouted Chrono, running up to them, "Uchiha-senpai's movies are about to start!"

Rizelle grimaced, looking like she was going to be sick. "Uchiha-senpai…" she muttered darkly, stalking off to follow Chrono. "Misleading… no good… _orange_ boy…_ I_ was supposed to be his bride…" she grumbled along the way.

"What're you talking about?" asked Genai.

Rizelle turned to him and stared darkly. "I can't be Uchiha-senpai's bride… because that damn _orange_ boy is…"

Genai thought about it for a minute, trying to understand what she meant, and when it hit him, he couldn't stop laughing.

X

"Everyone, please be seated, we will be starting shortly." said the host over a microphone.

The band sat down in the folding chairs, ready to watch the movies; Genai was still laughing his head off. "Give it a rest!" barked Rizelle, turning red from all the unwanted attention.

Genai finally calmed down, but he wouldn't give up the subject. "Hey look," he whispered to Rizelle, pointing over by the screen. "It's _Uchiha-senpai_!"

Rizelle turned even redder, slapping away his hand. But that's when she saw _him_. That hair, those eyes, just the air around him made her dizzy. "Who's that?" she asked dreamily, pointing back over to Uchiha-senpai; a taller boy had joined him and his friends.

"Oh, him?" drawled Aion. "That's his older brother."

Rizelle squealed in delight. "He's soo handsome and cool! I think I'm in love…" Aion rolled his eyes, going back to ignoring her.

"How can you get over Uchiha-senpai so quickly?" asked Viede, slightly amazed that she could move on, but still annoyed that her attention wasn't on him.

"Who cares about _that_ Uchiha? This one's soo much better!" The new, older boy started coming up the aisle, and when he brushed passed Rizelle, she melted.

Viede tsk-ed, giving up on her for good.

"May I have your attention please?" called the host over the microphone again. "We will now start tonight's show." The back lights dimmed and everyone started clapping. Then the band's first song started to play.

_sousa kanashimi wo yasashisa ni  
jibun rashisa wo chikara ni  
mayoinagarademo ii arukidashite  
mou ikkai mou ikkai _

X

_Right here Right now (Bang!)  
Buppanase Like a dangan LINER!  
Right here Right now (Burn!)  
Buttakitteku ze Get the fire! (BAM!)_

It was over, everyone applauded, but the band just stared… and stared… and stared…

"M-maybe we should have asked him what he was doing _before_ we started the songs…" said Shader quietly.

"That was so freaky…" whispered Aion, shivering a little.

"NINJAS?" shrieked Rizelle. "Why the hell are they _ninjas_?-!"

"I've wasted my talents…" muttered Genai.

"What talents?" hissed Rizelle. "Don't be so _proud_!"

"You shouldn't be so _envious_ of Uchiha-senpai!" he hissed back.

"I am not, you _lazy_ little—!"

"Then quit _lusting_ for him—you're so _greedy_!"

"You're just _angry_ because you don't have anybody special!"

"Neither do you, apparently!"

"Thank you all very much," said Uchiha-senpai, moving to stand in front of everyone. "And could we please have another round of applause to the musical masterminds behind this production, the—" Everyone looked over at the band; Genai and Rizelle were oblivious to it though; they were still arguing. "Hey, RiRi-chan, what's your band's name?"

"No man is every going to want if you keep eating so much at lunch—you're _gluttonous_!"

"Like you're one to talk!"

"Um, Rizelle?" chirped Shader, elbowing her friend's shoulder. "I think someone's talking to you!" Rizelle and Genai froze, just noticing that everyone was staring at them. "They want to know our band name!"

"Our… name… Right! Well… It's…" she was stalling, glancing every which way, trying to find an answer. "It's… uhm…"

"The Sinners!" blurted Genai.

"Right!" chirped Rizelle, playing along. "We're the Sinners!"

Everyone stared at them and then started clapping; Uchiha-senpai went on with his speech.

"Where did _that_ come from?" hissed Rizelle.

"Do you even _listen_ to our arguments?" hissed Genai back.

Before they could get into another fight, Chrono brushed passed them, dragging along Maggie behind him.

"Where do you think they're going?" asked Shader.

"Oh no…" muttered Genai, already knowing what was going to happen.

(A/N: Alright, the whole reason 'Uchiha-senpai' asked them to do songs, was because if you noticed, all the songs they've done thus far in this chapter (except for one), have been from _Naruto_; just because _Naruto_ songs rock. :D )

X

"Maggie," started Chrono nervously, "I um…, I just wanted to tell you…"

"What is it?" she asked kindly.

Chrono blushed and turned away. He cleared his throat; "Maggie, we've known each other for a long time, haven't we?"

"Sure have! Since you were still in diapers!" she chirped; Chrono turned even redder.

"Yeah… and I've been thinking, well actually, I've always thought that you're special. You're so nice and pretty, and you're great at everything you do,"

"Oh, stop," giggled the girl, waving her hand at him.

"Not just yet," said Chrono, turning back around and gazing up at her. "Maggie… I love you."

She smiled at him warmly; "I love you, too, Chrono."

Chrono grinned madly, excitement filling him. "Th-then will you be my girlfriend?" he stuttered.

Maggie stared at him blankly for a moment, and then, "You're kidding, right?" she blurted, bursting out into laughter.

"N-no, I'm not!" shouted Chrono, terribly confused now.

"I can't be your girlfriend!"

"Why not?" he cried, tears making their way to his eyes.

"Well for one, think of the age difference!"

"But… you said it didn't matter before…" he whispered sadly.

Maggie sighed and put her hand on his shoulder, crouching down next to him to look him in the eye. "That was when we were talking about names and formalities, this is something completely different."

"B-but… y-you said you loved me…"

Maggie sighed again, hanging her head. "Like a little brother, yeah. But not like a boyfriend; Chrono, I don't want to be your girlfriend." When Maggie looked back up at him, he was glaring at her; hot tears streaming down his cheeks. "Oh, maybe that came out wrong…" she muttered as he slapped away her hand from his shoulder and ran away as fast as he could. _'I really should think things out more before I say them…'_ she told herself as she stood up, scratching her head.

X

"Hey, where'd Rizelle and the others go?" asked Shader, turning around to find the rest of her friends gone.

Genai shrugged; "They probably just wondered off to explore the rest of the festival."

"Probably…"

The two made their way away from the noise of the main celebration and over to the less crowded area by the pond. The water and air were so peaceful that from behind all the shrubbery that separated them for the rest of the festival all that could be heard was the gentle chirps of crickets. Shader ran over to the railing by the pond and marveled at it; gazing at the perfect reflection of the moon that was cast onto the still water.

This tranquil scene didn't last very long though, because after barely twenty seconds, a figure came running out of no where and collided with Genai. "Oof!" he grunted as the two fell to the ground. "What do you think you're do… ing… Chrono?" he asked upon realizing who the person that had knocked him down was. "What're you doing out here—what's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" choked the boy, sliding off his friend. "What's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong! My life is over because the only girl I'll ever love doesn't love me back! That's what's wrong!" the boy starting sobbing, not caring that anybody could see him bawling like a little baby; nothing mattered to him at that moment.

"Chrono…" whispered Shader sadly, taking a step toward the boy; Genai raised his hand and stopped her from making another move, though.

"Chrono," he started sternly, "I'm telling you this because I'm you're friend and I don't want to see you get hurt like this again: love hurts and it almost never goes the way you want it to. So just deal with it!" he ordered.

Chrono looked up at him, swiping away some tears. "Don't feed me that crap!" he shouted. "How would _you_ know how I feel? You're just trying to make me feel better by spouting the same lies everyone else does! You don't really care! You don't know—"

_SLAP!_

Chrono went silent instantly, a searing white pain spreading through his face. He stared up at Genai, fresh tears forming in his eyes.

"Shut up," whispered the boy harshly. "What makes you so sure that I don't know what you're going through? Why do you think that I don't know what love is like?" he looked him in the eye and smiled weakly. "I'm in the same place you are—I don't know what comes next, I'm just trying to give you advice. And I never said to give up; I said 'deal with it'. Because you know… boys aren't supposed to cry."

"I know… They're supposed to be mean and gross and play in the mud." He whispered like he was reciting a law. "But I… I hate mud you know…"

Without saying another word, Chrono collapsed into his friend's arms and resumed crying his hearts out; Genai just hugged him back. "I hate mud, too," he whispered. "So only… only just this once…"

"…thank you…" whispered Chrono back between sobs.

Shader remained silent, only staring at the two before her. _'I don't get it…'_ she thought in amazement. _'That's exactly what I told him that one time… And even though he remembered it… 'Boys are supposed to be mean and gross and play in the mud', right? So why are they so nice? Why are Chrono and Genai so different? What makes them so special… to me…?'_ Shader felt her cheeks heating, turning red, but she didn't bother to do anything about it; the only people around were busy defying the rules of being a boy. Still, she raised her hands to her face and pressed them against her blazing skin. _'This is… this is just like before, when he was leading me to Rizelle's house, and then again when I got lost. And when…'_ she shook her head, turning even redder. _'I don't get it! What's wrong with me? My heart is racing and my skin is on fire! Why?'_ she closed her eyes tightly, trying to push everything out of her mind. _'I don't get it! What's making me fell like this, what?'_

Her eyes were jammed shut so tightly that little colorful dots started dancing across the darkness of her mind. _'What? What?'_ she kept asking herself. And then it came to her. The dots faded and she relaxed, and slowing and image appeared before her. "It can't be…" she whispered, so quietly that she could barely hear herself.

"You okay now?" asked Genai, letting Chrono sit up.

He nodded tiredly, still swiping at a few tears that refused to stop. "I'm gonna go find Maggie and apologize for running off…"

Genai smiled a little. "Sure, go ahead, I won't stop you." Chrono nodded and slowly walked away. When Genai turned around to look at Shader he raised an eyebrow. "You okay?" he asked, coming close to her. "You're really red," he pressed his palm against her forehead. "Don't tell me you have a fever," he sighed, flipping over his hand.

"N-no…" she muttered, shaking her head slightly; Genai groaned a removed his hand.

"You better not be lying to me," he warned; she shook her head again. "Good,"

Shader looked away, still red and still nervous. _'Of course he's special to me!'_ she told herself. _'He's my friend, he's like a brother! ………But… is that all…?'_ She looked back at him, gazing straight into his eyes. "Ah…" she squeaked quietly. "Um… s-…" she took a deep breath, swallowed hard, and shut her eyes. "Suki! (I like you!)" she blurted, totally covering her face with her hands; Genai blinked at her stupidly.

"Sushi?" he asked after a minute. "What're you…?"

Shader put her hands down and opened her mouth, but her words never came. She stared down at the ground and closed her mouth. _'Did he… did he not hear? Or did he not WANT to hear?'_ she smiled to herself. _'Maybe… he just needs some time; time to sort out HIS feelings like I did mine.'_

"Sushi, eh?" he asked before she could say anything. "Well I guess there's bound to be at least _one_ sushi bar at this festival." He held out his hand for her; "Wanna go find it?" he asked smiling.

Shader smiled back and took his hand. "Sure…!"

X

X

X

_That day… that night… It changed my life forever and yet I lived it out as if everything would be the same after that. How foolish I was to think that. As a great Wiseman once said, "All good things must come to an end", and my time was up…" _

X

X

X

**(May…)**

"You're leaving?" she asked hollowly.

"Yep," said Genai, trying to smile at her, "the social worker that the school assigned to me finally gathered enough evidence against my dad to prosecute him. She even found me a new place to live; apparently I have grandparents out in the country who didn't even know that I existed until now. They said they'd be more than happy to take me in if I wanted."

"Are you going to go?"

"Of course! Anything's better than living with my dad! They even told me that he wouldn't be told where I was going and that if I went to live with my grandparents I'd attend a local school up there so I wouldn't have to come back here and risk facing my dad again. Isn't that great?"

"Oh…" was all Shader could say as she stared at the ground. It was the last day of school which meant that she'd be going back to France with Chrono later that day; her year in Japan was up. This was her final goodbye to the band.

"Hey, me and my sister are going to go live with our grandparents for a while, too." said Aion.

"Oh yeah, where do they live?" asked Rizelle.

"Well, I guess I should say _grandparent_; it's just my grandpa and he lives all the way over in America. I think he works as a chauffeur in New York."

"That'll be fun!" chirped the girl. "Maybe you'll learn how to speak English and then we can whisper secrets right in front of Chrono!" she hissed teasingly.

"Oh yeah? Well maybe _I'll_ learn English, too!" shouted Chrono defensively. "Or maybe I could just say stuff in French and then _you_ wouldn't be able to understand!" he threatened evilly.

"HA! What a load! Who else here even speaks French?" she snorted.

"Shader—duh!" When they looked over at Shader though, she was still staring at the ground, zoning out the entire conversation.

"Well, anyway…" started Genai slowly. "What're your plans for the summer, Rizelle?"

"We're gonna be pretty busy actually."

"We?"

"Me and Viede—both our fathers work for a major corporation and they've both been relocated to Tokyo or someplace. So yeah; Viede and I are moving away, too."

"That sucks," whined Chrono, slumping a bit. "Next time I come back here, none of you guys are going to be around."

"Actually, me and my sister are only staying with my grandpa for the summer; both Maggie and me will be back for the next trimester."

"Oh…_ Maggie_, too, huh?" grumbled Chrono under his breath.

"So," said Rizelle after a minute of silence, "I guess this is pretty much it, huh? The last time we'll really ever get to see each other…"

"I suppose it's true what you said, Chrono," said Genai, looking around at the group, "There really is no such thing as happily ever after…"

X

X

X

_After Genai said that, we all agreed, a few of us got teary, and then we all hugged. We made each other promise to write but we never did. I haven't heard from anyone, except for Chrono, of course, since that day. It's been several years now, and after a while, I honestly thought that that was the end of the Sinners… _

X

X

X

Chrono: What happen to never writing another chapter _that_ freakishly long again?

Me: Heh heh… Well you see, the thing is… _technically_ speaking, this is a subsection of a portion of a chapter. _Not_ an actual chapter.

Chrono: …………… (_WHAP!_ (smacks forehead))

Me: Eh heh… yeah… Now review and no one can complain about how late this one was because I honestly think that this is a quality chapter!

Chrono: I thought you said this wasn't _technically_ a chapter.

Me: Well I'm not speaking _technically_ anymore.

Chrono: ………………………………………………………… (_WHAP!_)


	28. Chapter 21 Part 3C

Me: Rats.

Chrono: What?

Me: Other than them being the most adorable little rodents aside from mice, I just had to say rats.

Chrono: Why?

Me: Do you know how many times I've heard 'Get back to the original story!' now?

Chrono: Please don't make me go count, that'll just keep it away even longer.

Me: Good point. And I guess after four subsections of the same chapter that don't have any Rosette in them, I guess even I would be pretty annoyed by now.

Chrono: Wait… four subsections? But wouldn't this make five?

Me: … (evil grin).

Chrono: Uh oh.

X

X

X

In the Life of a Rock Star

Chapter 21 part 3C: Yes, it's finally over. …You're welcome.

X

X

X

—Summer, France, 4 years ago

Shader sighed, wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. But this was nothing. For some odd reason, she missed the scorching hot summer days in Osaka. But now, after five long years, it all seemed like a faded dream; like it had never happened. She didn't have any photos or mementos of any kind; and Chrono and her ended up going to different secondary schools so she barely ever saw him anymore, either. All she had to remember her year in Japan were her thoughts; her dreams—of _him_. Genai. Ever since the Cherry Blossom Festival, she couldn't stop thinking about him. He occupied her dreams and sometimes she even thought that he was standing right there beside her, waiting for the light to change at a crosswalk. It was unreal; and she knew better.

The light did change, and she crossed the street, once again leaving her imaginary friend behind. As she made her way into her neighborhood, she stared down the street, gazing at the identical peach houses, all with perfect, green lawns and white picket fences. Everything was the same here and it never changed; _'How boring.'_

Shader turned her gaze away from the houses and sky and onto the ground, thinking that maybe there was something interesting there, like it was something completely different from the rest of the world. But you know, she really should've been watching where she was going.

As soon as she turned the corner, she smacked into another person, falling backwards from the impact. The person grunted slightly, but reached out a hand to catch her from falling. "Are you okay?" they asked quietly, and in English. _'Honestly!'_ Thought Shader hotly, _'This is France! Who speaks English here? Stupid tourists…'_

"Yeah, I'm fine," she mumbled, standing back up. The person was against the sun, so when she tried to look at them, she had to close her eyes to let them adjust to the bright light. And that's when she noticed it; the familiar feeling on her hand, the feeling of frayed threads tickling her wrist. She carefully opened her eyes, squinting long and hard up at the person still holding her hand. "Ge…Genai…?" she asked quietly.

At last her eyes adjusted and she could see him smiling down at her. "Hey, long time no see," he cooed.

She immediately ripped her hand away from him. "G-Genai!" she shrieked, becoming flustered. "Wh-what're you doing here? _Why_ are you here? How are you speaking English?"

He sighed and put his hands on his hips. "What? Can't a guy come and visit his little sister?"

Shader stopped panicking. _'He… he still remembers that…?'_ she frowned. _'Then he won't… want to be anything more to me than a brother…'_ she thought sadly. She looked up at the boy to see him huff and cross his arms.

"One," he barked, "your glasses are still huge; why don't you get contacts? Two, _why_ do you still wear those dumb cat ears? Three," he smirked evilly and turned away, "nice braces, _metal mouth_."

Shader squeaked, blushed, and slapped her hands over her mouth. _'Why is he being so mean? Is this really the same boy I knew five years ago?'_

"Come on, what're you waiting for?" he called over his shoulder. "Everybody's waiting for you!"

"Huh?" she blinked at him, still not moving an inch to follow.

X

"SURPRISE!" cheered everyone as Shader and Genai walked into Chrono's mansion.

"After five long years," declared Maggie, "the Sinners are finally taking another step forward!"

"How so?" asked Shader, still a little shocked by the sudden appearance of all her friends.

"Well, as you may already know, this year I turned 21. That means that I am now considered a responsible adult!"

Everyone stared at her; apparently this was news to them all. "_Responsible adult_?" cried Aion. "There are two things so very wrong with that statement."

Before he could continue, though, a clipboard owned by Maggie came very close to giving him a concussion. "Does anyone else want to be funny?" she asked menacingly as her little brother bled silently on the floor; they all shook their head. "That's what I thought," she cleared her throat, "Now as I was saying, since I am now an official adult, I have made all the necessary arrangements and have everything ready to go to move us to New York where we'll start you all off, except," she pointed at Chrono, "Chrono, I need to make a contract with you!"

The boy blinked at her stupidly. "Huh?"

"You see, I talked with everyone else's legal guardians, but your mom refuses to see me!" she explained cutely. "Could you please talk to her so we can work out your contract details?"

"What contract?" he demanded ignorantly.

She sighed tiredly and slapped her forehead. "The contract that allows me to do what I want with you as the lead singer of the Sinners!" she stated slowly.

"LEAD SINGER?" he shrieked. "B-but why me?"

"Coz you're the best looking one! And everyone knows that the hottest person in the band has to be the lead singer. I mean, look at these guys," she exclaimed, indicating Genai, Viede, and the bleeding Aion on the floor, "They've got nothing on you!"

"Heh." There goes his ego. "My sweet Maggie," he cooed suavely, "I'm glad to know that you've finally realized the extent of my greatness, but I'm afraid that ship sailed five years ago. Nice try though, I respect that."

Maggie could only stare at him. "Stop trying so hard," she said darkly, "it's pathetic."

And then his ego was crushed so he joined the bleeding Aion on the floor in a state of reject.

"Alright people," continued Maggie, "we leave tomorrow regardless of what Chrono's mother says, got it?"

"Yes, Ma'am!" they all saluted.

X

"So you're really leaving?" asked a teary-eyed Ms. du Monium later that night.

"Yup," said Chrono with apathy.

"Well… If you ever need anything—anything at all, please tell me, dear. Remember, I'm always here for you, no matter where you are."

…

…

…

"Oh, please don't leave me, sweetheart!" she cried pathetically, flinging herself upon her son.

"MOM!" cried the boy embarrassedly, turning red.

"You're my world, Christopher; I love you too much to let you go!"

"It's _Chrono_, Mom; stop calling me 'Christopher'." he grumbled, still red.

"But—But—" she sobbed, still refusing to let go of her baby boy. "Can I at least design some new outfits for you? I mean honestly," she let him go and gave him a good look over, "you're wearing _rags_."

Chrono tsk-ed and looked away. "I'm not one of your dumb models…" he mumbled, scowling at the ground.

"But you're certainly cute enough to be one!" she chirped proudly. "In a few years, once you've grown a little bit more, _all_ the girls will be on you—you'll need a stick to beat them away!" she giggled.

"What good is it to be popular if the only girl I'll ever love doesn't want me?" he asked coldly.

His mom shrugged. "I don't know; why don't you just find a new girl to love?" Chrono growled and ran upstairs. "What?" she called after him. "Was it something I said?" she winced as she heard his door slam. "Crazy teenagers," she murmured.

X

"Is everyone ready?" asked Maggie at the airport the next day. She looked over at Chrono. "You know… I never did get to talk to your mom…"

"Then I'm just going to run away!" he declared.

"Then let's get on the plane." She paused and looked over her shoulder at the boy. "Did you even tell her that you're leaving today?"

"Uhh…"

---

"Chrono? Chrono? Where are you?" called du Monium, frantically searching the entire house. "CHRONO!-!-!"

---

"She'll figure it out." said Chrono nervously as he boarded the plane.

X

"Hey, Maggie?" whispered Shader half way through their flight. "Are you sure that you rounded up the right people?"

"What're you talking about?" asked the older girl, tired from the five hours they'd already been on the plane.

"I'm just asking because Genai, no… really _all_ the boys seem… _different_."

Maggie laughed quietly at the young teen. "I'm sure they're the same people," she reassured. "It's just that this is the time in a boy's life when natural changes start occurring. What that really means is that for the next six or so years of their life they're going to be angsty, annoying, and mopey. It's called the 'teen years'."

"So it'll all go away once they turn twenty?" asked Shader dreadfully.

"We can only hope," sighed Maggie.

Shader groaned and looked out the window; what's the point of romance now if all the boys are angsty?

X

(Five more very long hours later…)

"Maggie, I'm tired…!" whined Rizelle, hobbling out of the airport.

"Yeah, can we just go to our new place and crash?" moaned Genai.

"Actually," started the manager nervously, "I don't know where our 'new place' is."

"WHAT?" they all screamed.

"Well… my grandpa's going to pick us up in the park at five, so…"

"Central Park?" inquired Rizelle.

"WHERE in Central Park?" screamed Aion.

"It's huge!" cried Shader.

"We have a meeting spot, and he'll be hard to miss—he's picking us up in a limo."

The entire band went into shock. "A… a limo…?" they murmured.

"We ARE rock stars!" cheered Rizelle, getting all floaty.

"So, what? Is Gramps gonna be our chauffeur or somethin'?" asked Aion arrogantly.

"Yeah," said Maggie simply, "but at least it's cheaper than hiring someone else—he's not charging us until we start selling records."

"Huh, he might _never_ get paid then…" mumbled Chrono.

"Oh come on, with YOU as our lead singer, how could we not?" chirped Maggie; Chrono groaned.

"We still have half an hour," said Shader, looking at her watch. "Should we go to the meeting place now?"

X

"Now we only have twenty minutes."

"Thanks for the update, freak." snapped Genai tiredly. Shader puffed out her cheeks and turned away.

"Oh, my, gosh." snickered Aion.

"What?" asked Chrono, looking over at his friend.

"Some dweebs are doing karaoke." He pointed over to two girls about their age watching a boy with a fake microphone who was, indeed, trying to sing karaoke.

_Bye bye Miss American Pie  
Put the Chevy to the levy  
Something something run dry  
Do-do-da-di-dum-di-dum-di-di-da  
This'll be the day that I die  
This'll be the day that I die_

"No more," barked the blonde girl, snatching away the fake microphone. "You suck, and you don't even know the words."

"So now it's our turn!" cheered the brunette.

Chrono and Aion watched as the two girls pushed the boy away and started to sing their song.

_Do you believe in magic?  
In a young girl's heart  
How the music can free her, whenever it starts  
And it's magic  
If the music is groovy  
It makes you feel happy like an old time movie_

"Wow…" cooed Chrono, "They sound like angels…"

"And they're cute enough to be ones, too." whispered Aion. He smirked; "Maybe we should ask them to join the band?"

"Mmm…" Chrono looked back at the girls. "Naw," he sighed, "we have enough people in it already; we don't need back-up singers."

"I guess…" sighed the older boy, disappointed at the loss of such cute girls.

"Hey, I got something to tell you…" whispered the brunette girl sadly once she and her friend had finished their song.

"What is it?" asked the blonde sweetly.

The other girl took a moment to carefully choose her words and take a deep breath. "I'm moving away at the end of summer."

"WHAT?" cried the blonde, dropping the fake microphone and taking her friend's hands into her own. "Why?"

The brunette shook her head and looked away from the girl. "My dad wants me to go to Catholic school, and since there aren't any around here that he deems 'acceptable'…"

"That's not fair!" she sobbed, tugging at her friend's sleeve, "You're my best friend… you _can't_ go away…!"

"Oh, quit fusing!" ordered the boy, still mad at not being able to finish his song. "I'm sure she'll come back and visit—it's not like you're never going to see her again!"

"But…" sniffled the blonde.

"He's right," said the brunette, holding the other girl's hands carefully. "You're _my_ best friend, too. So of course I'll come back." she smiled warmly at her; "So don't ever forget about me, okay?"

The blonde wiped away a few tears and nodded slowly. "Okay…" she mumbled.

"Ugh, _girls_…" muttered Aion as the two hugged.

"I know…" grumbled Chrono, also grossed out.

"Hey, dorks," called Rizelle, "our ride's here!"

"Grandpa!" chirped Maggie, giving the old man a hug. "Thanks for picking us up!"

"Thank _you_ for giving me a job! You don't know how hard it is to find work in this town!"

"Are you only saying that because you've been fired so many times for sexual harassment?" asked Maggie dully.

"……………maybe."

She groaned. "Grandpa, you're such a pervert…"

"And he's even proud of it…" grumbled Aion.

"Oh, quit your griping and get in the car." ordered the old man defensively.

"You know," sighed Maggie as they started down the street, "I have a feeling that I'm about to become very, very rich…"

"You mean, _we're_ about to become very, very rich." corrected Rizelle.

Maggie smirked evilly. "The division of the paycheck is up to the _manager_, you know…"

"Ugh…"

X

X

X

"Rosette, can you get the door?" called Joshua from his room at the sound of the tiny bell. "I'm kinda busy!"

"Fine," sighed the blonde, hopping over to the door as the bell sounded off again. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" she barked. She swung open the door and gasped.

"It's been what? Four years?" asked the brunette girl with a sly grin spread across her lips.

"Beth?" whispered Rosette in disbelief.

X

X

X

Me: Did you see that?

Chrono: What?

Me: The flashback has officially ended; you may rejoice.

Chrono: I'll rejoice in my own way, thank you. (takes out giant mallet and smacks authoress) THAT'S what you get for spending so damn long on chapter 21!-!

Me: Owie…


	29. Chapter 22

Me: Alright, new policy; updates on Sundays and check my profile for more news and such.

Chrono: That seems so organized; what's the catch?

Me: Well… you know how I've only crossed this story with other anime and games so far?

Chrono: Yeah?

Me: Well… I broke that trend in this chapter. I just couldn't resist.

Chrono: (_sigh_) Well, what is it already?

Me: You'll see… Oh, you'll see. (insert evil laughter)

Chrono: Uh oh.

X

X

X

In the Life of a Rock Star

Chapter 22: Gong Yi Tanpai! …(insert more evil laughter)

X

X

X

"How ya' been, Rosy?" asked Beth, leaning on the doorframe. "I know, I know, I should've dropped by sooner, but you know, Catholic school is just so damn strict!"

Rosette gaped at her old friend. "Did you just… cuss? I thought you were Catholic."

Beth grinned and stood up straight. "Naw," she cooed, "and you wanna know why?" Rosette nodded, "Coz I went to Catholic school for four years."

Both girls burst out laughing and as Joshua came down stairs, he called, "I hear uncontrollable and shameless laughing; did Beth come back?"

"Joshua, you crazy little boy!" cheered Beth as she ran to meet him, giving him a crushing hug. "How've you been?" she stopped a moment and turned around apologetically to Rosette. "Sorry, can I come in?"

"Of course," giggled Rosette, closing the door.

"I think I used up the last of my manners in C-school." sighed the new girl.

"Huh, I'd have thought that you were the loose cannon messing everything up." snickered Rosette.

"Ha ha, very funny," she grumbled, "but that would've been _you_, my friend."

"Oh, please," she snorted, "can you even imagine _me_ at a Catholic school?"

"Oh, come on, Rosette," chirped Joshua, "you'd make a cute nun!"

"………I dare you to say that again." She hissed menacingly.

"Okay; you'd make a…ah…AH-CHOO!" both girls slapped their hands over their ears at the boy's sneeze.

"Jeez, where'd that come from?" shouted Beth, ears ringing.

"Sawy, iz mah awagies…" he sniffled, whipping his nose on his sleeve.

"Since when have you had allergies?"

"Since he's allergic to fur," mumbled Rosette.

"Fur…?"

Just then, an adorable black and white cat trotted down the stairs, meowing cutely and rubbing up against Joshua's leg. "His name's Francisco—_San_ Francisco." He sniffled.

"Why'd you name a cat after a city?"

"He didn't," said Rosette, "his friend did. See, St. Frank, as I like to call him, belonged to one of Joshua's friends up until they passed away a couple months ago. He took him in after that and well…discovered he's allergic to fur."

"Wait," started Beth, "How do you know it's not just cats?"

Joshua started to laugh nervously. "Funny story about that…"

Rosette sighed and told it for him. "Several weeks ago, one of the groundskeepers was mowing the lawn outside our house and they accidentally ran over a rabbit hole."

"And that's how little Lucky ended up in the other room—_ah-choo_!-! Ugh…"

"Those are some awful stories…" mumbled Beth, "But at least they're adorable _aminals_ with a good home—right?"

"Of course they have a good home; I just refuse to take in anymore of Joshua's strays." grumbled Rosette tiredly.

"But what if there's a really cute puppy shivering out in the rain?" cried Joshua pathetically.

"Then it'll just have to go shiver in front of someone _else's_ house."

"You're so cruel!"

"DEAL WITH IT!"

"Oh, man," laughed Beth, "you guys have _no_ idea how much I've missed you!" she paused and stood up straight. "Oh yeah; can I crash with you for a while?"

"Don't tell me you ran away from school…" sighed Rosette.

"No, my mom's staying with friends too until she can find an apartment for us. She just needs that and a job and then we'll be set, so this'll only be temporary."

"What about your dad?" asked Joshua.

"He bought the farm."

"Oh, I'm sorry…"

"Don't be! That man deserves his farm in Montana!"

"You mean he's not dead?"

"I never he said he was."

"But you… oh never mind…"

"So is that why you came back?" asked Rosette. "Let me guess; your parents got a divorce and your dad moved to Montana."

"Yep," sighed Beth, flopping down on the sofa. "That's _exactly_ what happened. I guess he didn't think I was nun material so he tried to disown me, but my mom wouldn't have any of it. The rest is history…"

"That sucks," grumbled Rosette.

"Yeah, but at least I'm back here with you again, Rosette!" she cheered cutely as she gave her a big hug, giggly nonstop.

"Sorry to break up your reunion," started Joshua, "but you have work in like five minutes, Rosette."

"Shit!" cried the girl as she bounded off the sofa and flew upstairs. "Sorry Beth, but I gotta run!" she called as she slammed the door to her room.

"That's okay!" she called back. She turned to Joshua and asked, "So where does she work anyway?"

X

"SEXUAL HARASSMENT! SEXUAL HARASSMENT! SEXUAL HARASSMENT!" screamed Rosette as she stormed out of the backroom, followed by a brunet boy who was apologizing madly.

"I knew she ran ahead of us… but what _this _happened?" asked Joshua, totally bewildered.

**(5 minute earlier) **

"I know, I know—I'm late, I'm late!" squeaked Rosette, skidding back into the changing room behind the counter.

"Well, well, if it isn't our very own Little White Rabbit." cooed a brunet boy, closing the door for her. "Where's your pocket watch to tell you the time?"

"Sitting on my nightstand at home!" came Rosette's peeved voice as she swung the door open; the boy fell forward a little since he had been leaning on the door. "What?" snapped Rosette.

The boy sighed and shook his head. "Nothing. I'm simply marveling in your radiance."

Rosette rolled her eyes and pushed him aside. "You _still_ have no chance with me." She stated tiredly, snatching up her notepad and pen.

"Oh, come on!" he cried desperately. "You haven't even seen that other guy in how long?"

"That's not the point!" cried Rosette, frustrated, spinning around to face the brunet. She stared at him for a moment trying to think of the right words. "It's the principle of the thing." She sighed at last, turning back around.

"But—"

"No buts!" she cried, whirling around once more. The boy gave her his trademarked blue-eyed-puppy-dog-plead-stare, and like always, it didn't work. Rosette sighed again. "You have tables to wait, and so do I. Now where's—"

_CRASH!-!-!_

Rosette groaned and closed her eyes. "Three minutes," she muttered, "can you two not cause chaos for _three minutes_?"

"Sorry…" came another boy's voice from the floor. A second later, a boy identical, except with shorter blond hair, to the boy Rosette was talking to poked his head over the counter. "They were all empty, I swear." He pleaded pathetically.

Rosette groaned a little again and strode over to the other boy. "Just clean it up and get back to work." She ordered.

"Rosette!" called the first boy. "Are you sure you won't reconsider going out with me?"

Rosette stopped, clenched and raised her fist, and shook it in the air. "So help me, Sora, if you don't stop hitting on me, I'll call you out for sexual harassment!"

"But—"

"Ah!" squeaked Rosette, cutting him off.

"Just leave her alone," sighed the blond boy as he carefully balanced the shattered plates in his arms. "You already have two significant others."

"Shut up, Roxie! Besides, I keep telling her that we're through and the other will have nothing to do with me! So as you can see, I totally free, my darling." He cooed to Rosette.

She stopped and slowly turned around, glaring at him maliciously.

"Uh oh,"

"SEXUAL HARASSMENT! SEXUAL HARASSMENT! SEXUAL HARASSMENT!" she screamed, storming out of the backroom. Sora chased after her, apologizing madly.

"Rosette, what's going on _this_ time?" asked Joshua worriedly as his sister continued to fume.

"Not 'what'—_who_! And it's Sora, _again_!" she screamed.

"Which one's Sora?" asked Beth, totally lost.

"Rosette, I'm sorry, okay? How many times do I have to—Hello." cooed the boy upon noticing Beth. He took her hand and placed a light kiss on it. "Tell me, beautiful, did it hurt?"

"Did what hurt?" she asked, still out of the loop.

"Why, when you fell from heaven, of course!" he tugged her hand and spun her into his arms, dipping her romantically.

"This is what I have to put up with _every single day_…" groaned Rosette miserably.

"At least it's never boring…" laughed Joshua nervously; Rosette groaned again.

"Keep your hands to yourself, Casa Nova." Spat Beth, shooing Sora away from her. "Guys who try _this_ hard make me sick."

"And lo, we come to a woman who knows where to hit him where it hurts; bravo." drawled the blond boy upon returning from the kitchen to deposit the broken dishes.

"Ooh," cooed Beth, blushing slightly, "_he's_ cute, though."

"Oh for the love of—WHY? Why do all the girls like Roxie?"

"Stop calling me that!" yelled the blond boy. "Maybe it's because you're an idiot with no sense of respect or personal space!"

"Ooohhhhh…" came a gasp from everyone in the café; apparently this happens so often it's become a regular attraction.

"Are you challenging me?" demanded Sora, sizing up to the blond boy.

"And what if I am?" he spat back.

"Then I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown!" he declared. "If you win, you obtain bragging rights to call me an idiot for an entire week. But if _I_ win, then _everyone_ gets to call you Roxie for an entire week. Agreed?"

The blond boy sighed, massaging his temples. "Fine. Name your game."

"Soul Caliber III—best of three rounds wins."

"Fine."

"WHAT?" gaped Beth, now more out of the loop than ever.

"Lemme explain," started Rosette calmly. "Based upon the hit show that apparently everyone in our high school watches, a Xiaolin Showdown is essentially a battle of idiots; when two people get into a fight, they can challenge each other to a Showdown as an easy way to settle the argument. They make a wager, name a game of some sort, and then begin. It's simple, humiliating, and incredibly fun to watch."

"Why?"

Rosette smirked evilly, closing her eyes. "Because the official rules that the student council wrote up states that a Showdown can only take place in _here_, the school sponsored café."

"Why is that good?"

"Because while bystanders are helping the challengers set up, someone runs onto the street and shouts it at the tops of their lungs, thus drawing in more customers."

Beth looked around. "Huh; I thought it was getting more crowded in here."

"Are you ready to get you ass kicked, Roxie?" growled Sora, grasping his PS2 controller fiercely.

"AS! It's Rox-AS! Get it right!" screamed the blond boy.

Before the Sora could make a rebuttal, one of the bystanders shouted, "You're ready to go!"

The two boys glared at each other and cried, "GONG YI TANPAI!" as their game started.

X

"You know you always lose."

"You shouldn't have even fought him; just should've back out."

"You're such an idiot."

"I know you're right…" grumbled the loser, "but could you please not rub it in?" he shouted.

"You're such a sore loser."

"Oh, shut up, Roxie…" grumbled Sora, slumping down in his chair even more.

"Ahem." coughed the victor loudly.

"Rox-AS, sorry, jeez…"

"Whose bright idea was it to even make this an official thing?" asked Beth.

"Next year's Senior Student Council President." sighed Rosette. "We elect our officials in late May so we don't have to do it next year. And this guy wanted to start his position early. And he did." She stated darkly.

"So where is he now?"

"DARN IT!" yelled a frustrated voice coming into the café. "Don't tell me I missed another Showdown!"

"Oh no…"

As the other spectators were leaving, this one new red-headed boy was pushing his way through the crowd desperately. "Sora!" he shouted. "Who was it? What were the wagers? Who won?-!"

Before Sora could answer, Roxas turned bright red and dashed into the kitchen; the only place the Senior President wasn't allowed to go in the café. "Me and Roxie; bragging rights; and you know I never win."

"Nooooooooo…!" cried the President, falling melodramatically into a chair. "If only… if only those meanies had let me out of the meeting, I could've seen the Showdown of a life time!"

"Relax—Roxie and I get into fights every other day, you'll have another chance."

"Wait…" whispered Beth to Rosette, "I thought they were _next year's_ student council. Why are they having meetings _now_?"

"The entire new organization is just super-amped about their duties and they're going a little overboard, that's all."

"That's _all_? Rosette, your school is full of freaking weirdoes!"

"You should've seen it when we had rock stars attending!" she giggled.

X

X

X

Me: Okay, you know what? I'm just gonna end it there coz school's started and this has been sitting around for who knows how long.

Chrono: And besides, you have to keep up your tradition of crappy endings.

Me: ………I'm not going to kill you.

Chrono: Really?

Me: No, I'll leave that to Jack Spicer, evil boy genius.

Chrono: ARE YOU KIDDING? That guy's pathetic!

Me: I know; you'll _laugh_ to death.

Chrono: Oh yeah?

(10 minutes later)

Chrono: WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHH!-!-! GASP! (drops dead)

Me: Ha! Told you so.

0000000000000000000000000000

Me: Okay, special treat time! Since I'm working on many, many Chrno Crusade fics right now, I'll give you a snippet of the two I'm farthest on.

**The ITLOARS Omake Theate: **

Rosette pursed her lips, just staring at him. "That's it," she declared after a moment, "no more MySpace, DeviantArt, or FanFiction until you bring up your history grade."

"WHAT?" cried Joshua as the bus came to their stop. "That's not fair! You have no right!"

"Alright," chirped Rosette as she hopped onto the sidewalk. "You can keep MySpace and DeviantArt, but no more FanFiction for the rest of the school year."

"NO!" screamed the boy pathetically. "I changed my mind! I'll be good; I'll bring up my grades—all of them! Just PLEASE don't take my writing away! My readers will kill me!"

**The Worth of a Soul: **

As another tick of the clock passes by, another second, another eternity is lost. We ask our selves, "Why do I exist?" But if the tale of the Astral Lines is true, then it's not a question of existence, because you simply exist to do so and to carve your own future. No… it's more of a question of…

"What is the worth of my soul?"

0000000000000000

Me: Please review and check them out!


	30. Chapter 23

(**IMPORTANT**: Hey, even if you never read the author's notes, please read the end note to this chapter. Thank you.)

---------------------------------

Me: …Continuity errors… they burn…

Chrono: How bad could it be?

Me: Well, I was looking back at an earlier chapter to see whether or not I said Rosette and Joshua were in the same grade, but then I got distracted and kept reading.

Chrono: And…?

Me: ………In chapter 2 (part 3), remember when Rosette told you that you had to submit any questions you had for her in written haiku?

Chrono: Yeah…

Me: And then you asked, "What the heck is haiku?" And then I made you Japanese in the later chapters…

Chrono: Oh, that's really bad.

Me: (nods pathetically)

Chrono: Anything else you'd like to say at this time?

Me: Yeah… Sorry for being gone so long. I've had a lot of extra school work this year, but I'm still writing whenever I can.

Chrono: Good girl.

Me: Oh, and there is something quite special about this chapter that actually has nothing to do with the content of it. Do you know what it is?

Chrono: Um… NO.

Me: Well I'll tell you… in the end note.

Chrono: Of course…

X

X

X

_I've been waiting a long time  
For this moment to come  
I'm destined  
For anything at all… _

"She's pretty good."

"…"

"Don't you think?"

"…"

"I asked you a question," hissed the girl in the back of the café. She reached over the table and slapped the boy's arm. He flinched slightly but stayed silent. The girl sighed and sat back down in her seat. "Fine; keep quiet."

_Downtown lights will be shining  
On me like a new diamond  
Ring out under the _ _midnight__ hour… _

After a moment, the girl sighed again and stood up. "You're just no fun to talk to," she whispered.

_No one can catch me now  
And I can't turn my back  
It's too late, ready or not at all _

The girl stood by the wall, reading the menu above the counter. Without finding anything she liked she sighed once more and sat down at a new table away from the boy. She opened her book and set the bookmark on the table.

_I'm so much closer than I have ever known…  
Wake up _

She glanced up at her bookmark to find a steaming drink sitting beside it; another boy was standing across from her.

"Hey," he said. In the dim light of the café, the girl couldn't see his face clearly; he sounded cute but rather stupid. "Is this seat taken?"

_Dawning of a new era _

_Calling… don't let me catch you falling _

_Ready or at all _

"No," replied the girl simply. She turned her eyes back down to her book, expecting the boy to take the extra chair to another table, but she heard it scratching the floor; he had sat down next to her. "Is there something you want from me?"

_So close enough to taste it _

_Almost…I can embrace this _

_Feeling…on the tip of my tongue _

"Not really," he said smiling. He reached over and pushed the drink by the bookmark closer to her; "Just thought you'd like some tea."

The girl raised an eyebrow, not taking the drink. "Do you flirt with all the girls?"

"Only the pretty ones,"

_I'm so much closer than I have ever known… _

_Wake up _

_Better thank your lucky stars… _

The girl sighed and closed her book. "Well I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't flirt with me; I'm not anyone's type."

"How can you be sure? Have you ever been in love before?" asked the boy with a smirk.

The girl scowled, pushed her large glasses up her nose, and went to stand up, but the boy caught her arm, staring up at her intently. "What do you want from me?" she snapped.

He frowned. "Did you really think I wouldn't know it was you?" he asked quietly.

The girl turned away, jerking her arm from the boy's grasp. "Grow up, Gene." She hissed as she stalked passed the spotlighted stage where the brunette was singing; her long golden tresses flashed in the light as she left the café.

_Well I'm so much closer than I have ever known _

_Wake up _

_Better thank your lucky stars… _

"Sir," drawled a blonde waitress, "please remove your feet from the table." She waited for the customer to comply but he appeared to be asleep. "Hey, wake up!" she ordered, snapping her fingers at him; he didn't budge. "These tables are hard enough to clean," she growled, clenching her tray and raising it over her head, ready to strike the boy. "They don't need your muddy feet smudging them any more than they already—"

The boy looked up at her, still not taking his feet off the table; the waitress dropped her tray instantly, eyes wide and staring.

_I've been waiting a lifetime _

_For this moment to come _

_I'm destined for anything at all _

"Chrono…?" whispered the waitress in disbelief. "You… you came back…"

The boy looked down, placing his feet on the floor, standing up. "Hey,"

The girl raised her hands to her trembling lips, tears sparkling in her eyes; speechless.

"Rosette," called a blond waiter, attracted by the loud clatter of the fallen tray, "what's going—" He stopped as soon as he saw the other boy; he scowled. He marched over to the waitress, gently pushed her aside, grabbed the boy's shirt collar and slugged him.

_Dumbstruck; color me stupid _

_Good luck; you're gonna need it _

_Where I'm going if I get there at all… _

"Joshua, what're you doing?" screamed the girl.

He didn't answer. He waited for the other boy to stand up only to grab him again, starting a fist fight. "Bastard!" he yelled at him. "How dare you come back?"

_Wake up _

"What the hell are you talking about?" demanded the victim as he made a swing at the waiter.

_Better thank your lucky stars… _

X

X

X

In the Life of a Rock Star

Chapter 23: Things Change…

X

X

X

"Rosette, what's going on?" asked the brunette singer as she hopped off the stage and dashed to her friend. All the lights in the café came on and everyone's attention switched to the fight. Sora and Roxas came running to help restrain the two boys as Rosette continued to scream at her brother.

"But you said I could!" he griped, still refusing to calm down.

"When?"

_X _

_"You know what? The second I see that lowdown bastard—I'm gonna wallop him right in the kisser!" _

_"But what if you forget?" _

_"Then I give you permission to do it for me!" _

_X _

"Oh yeah… I _did_ say that, didn't I?" whispered Rosette. "Well I was gonna!" she spat firmly.

"Oh please," groaned Joshua, "you were about to cry."

"Shut up!" she growled, enforcing her point with a super noogie attack.

"OWOWOWOWOWOW!"

"Who is this guy?" asked Sora, releasing his hold on Chrono.

Rosette was about to answer when she came up with a better plan than hitting Chrono. She turned to Sora and smiled slyly, lacing her fingers around his apron straps and pulling him toward her effortlessly. "No one at all…" she breathed, pressing her lips to his. Rosette budged one eye open to see Chrono's reaction; torn to pieces. _'Good,'_ she thought vindictively, _'this ought to teach him a lesson.'_ After almost 30 seconds, she finally let go of Sora, licking her lips. "I'll see you tomorrow," she cooed, calling to Joshua and Beth that their shift was over.

After the Christophers had left the café, Sora flung his arms up in the air in victory, silently nodding his head, grinning like an idiot as he went back to work.

X

"YAY!-!-!" cheered Rosette when they got home. She pranced around the living room like a three year old, and then finally flopped down onto the sofa, giggling madly.

"Why are you so happy?" asked Beth as she closed the door.

"Coz that was my boyfriend!"

"Sora?"

"No!" pouted Rosette, sitting up. "Chrono—the guy Joshua was fighting with!"

"Why are you happy then?" asked the other girl confusedly as she went to the kitchen to get some Band-Aids for Joshua.

"She's happy because she just spited him." said Joshua, grasping his fist.

"That's not it either!" she huffed, slumping down on the couch; her good mood was fading. "I'm just happy he's back, that's all."

"Wait," started Beth, sitting down beside Joshua, "if he's your boyfriend and he 'finally came back,' then why did you kiss Sora?"

"Coz that bastard hasn't talked to me in practically six months!"

"Some boyfriend…" grumbled Beth.

"But I'm still happy to see him; I was beginning to think I never would again."

"Yeah," sighed Joshua, "I'm happy he came back too. In fact, I'm so happy I could bleed!" he chirped, holding up the hand that he had used to beat the other boy.

Rosette frowned. "I only said I was going to hit him, not pound him into next week."

Joshua shrugged as Beth started cleaning up his hand. "He had it coming."

Rosette frowned again and stuck her tongue out at her brother. "Even so, you shouldn't have wasted so much energy on him." With that, she stood up and bounced up the stairs, still bubbling with joy. "Don't stay up too late!" she called back to Joshua.

The boy sighed as Beth finished with his hand. "This isn't going to end well."

"What do you mean?"

"She has too much faith in him."

"Is that bad?"

Joshua looked away sadly and stared at the front door. "Even if he hadn't come back today, she'd still wait for him, even until the day she dies… My sister!" he griped, standing up. "She's so stubborn!"

Beth giggled and stood up, giving the boy a hug. "Well at least she has a sweet little brother to look out for her!" she chirped, ruffling the boy's hair. Joshua blushed and wriggled out of her grasp.

"Quit it; you're embarrassing me!" he laughed, still bright red. Beth grinned evilly and within a second she pounced on the boy. They fell to the couch and she immediately went for his weak points. "Stop!" he cried, laughing madly, "I'm ticklish!"

"I know!" she cackled, relentless in her attack.

Upstairs, Rosette laughed to herself as she listened to Joshua being tortured. Between Beth, Joshua, Satella, and Azzy, she had the best family she could ever want.

Just then, San Francisco jumped up onto the bed and started snuggling Rosette's cheek. "Stupid cat," she murmured, "why are you so cute?" The black and white fuzz ball meowed loudly as an answered. Rosette sighed and picked him up. "I miss them… I really do…" she smirked abhorrently, "Only Al could think to name a cat after a city." Francisco meowed again, wagging his tail and purring. "You're right," said Rosette, setting him back down on her bed, "I shouldn't think about it too much."

After a moment, she smiled broadly and spun around. "But at least Chrono came back!" she squealed, flopping down onto the bed, nearly squashing her cat.

X

Once in a very great while, and I mean a _very great_ while, Rosette becomes a morning person. There's no explanation to it, she just becomes chipper and is all smiles and sunshine. In fact, this happens so very rarely, it's like watching a horror movie.

_Futari ga kitto deaeruyouna mahou wo kakete_  
_Ryoute wo sotto kasanetehora hohoemukara_

"What the hell are you singing?" asked Beth indignantly as Rosette sang her way into the kitchen.

"I have absolutely NO idea!" she chirped, still humming the tune. "I heard it on the radio and I can't get it out of my head—_Honto no kimochi kitsukanai furishite_; _Totsuzen futari koi ni ochitano_!"

"Well it's creeping me out," sighed Beth, turning her attention back to her newspaper as Rosette started 'ooh-ooh'ing away, "so please knock it off."

"I can't help it! _Let me be with you! Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, yeah! Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, yeah_!"

"Easy for you to say; you don't have to listen to yourself." grumbled the other girl. Rosette started giggling in between the words, trying but failing to stop singing the fluffy song. "Oh, right," said Beth, "is Joshua awake yet?"

Rosette, still dancing but not singing, turned to her and asked, "Isn't he down yet?"

"Nope, I haven't seen him yet this morning."

Rosette slowly stopped dancing and went back upstairs. "Joshua?" she called, knocking on his door. "Are you almost up?" She waited a moment, but he didn't answer. Rosette carefully opened the door and slid in. Joshua was still in bed, quietly moaning. "Are you sick _again_?" she sighed.

The boy slowly rolled onto his back, coughed, and nodded. "Sorry…" he murmured, ready to fall back asleep.

Rosette sighed again and pulled his blankets over his shoulders. "It's fine, but this is why I didn't want you to waste so much energy beating up Chrono." Joshua smiled weakly as Rosette went to leave. "Just get better soon, okay?" he nodded, snuggling back into his blankets.

"So what's the verdict?" asked Beth when Rosette came back to the kitchen.

"He's sick again," she sighed. Rosette went over to the phone and dialed a number. "Hello? Hey Fiore, it's Rosette. Listen, you've got a summer fever today and can't make it to school, 'kay? …Alright, bye." She hung up.

"What was that about?"

"I don't want Joshua to stay home alone, and Fiore's terrible with coming up with excuses so I always have to give her one so she can watch him."

Beth folded her newspaper and set it down on the table. "And she doesn't mind missing school? I mean, does she come over _every_ time he gets sick?"

"Well… only lately she does. I think they're not telling me something, but I'm pretty sure whatever it is they've got it under control."

Beth smirked into her coffee after taking a sip. "So you think, but you should understand that teenagers can be very _naughty_—are you sure they're not having an affair?"

Rosette rolled her eyes. "I would know if something like THAT was going on."

"Riiiighttt…" Beth finished her coffee and put the cup in the sink. "Come on, or we'll miss the bus."

"Nah, I don't wanna take the bus today." said Rosette calmly as she found some cereal.

"Ohh… you're taking _that_ to school again?"

"You say it like it's a bad thing,"

"Oh, no no no," cooed Beth, grinning wickedly. "It's the most amazing thing _ever_!"

Rosette snorted. "You are SO weird…"

X

"…this phrase has become the notorious slogan of Marie Antoinette. Which brings me to the subject of movies; just as a reminder I trust that all of you will be going to see Flags of Our Fathers and Marie Antoinette this weekend?" asked Mrs. Grace, Rosette's history teacher. The class grumbled a collective 'yes', totally uninterested in movies suggested by a teacher.

Ding Dong Ding Dong! (The cafeteria has run out of bread—today's menu, CAKE!)

As Rosette gathered her notes into her bag, she glanced over at Chrono who walked by her without a word, going to his next class. She frowned; he hadn't said anything to her all day. _'I wonder if he's mad at me for last night?'_ she thought sadly. _'I didn't mean to upset him, just get revenge for the past six months… Oh, wait…'_ "Doh!" she muttered, silently cursing herself. "I am such an idiot…"

X

"It's just no fun anymore," griped Anna.

"I know… but it can't be helped," sighed Claire.

"Ohhhhhh—I MISS MISS KATE!-!" squeaked Mary, throwing her arms up into the air.

"Things change, Mary," said Rosette, "It's _Mrs. Remington_ now, remember?"

They all gave a collective shudder, chills running down their spines. "He was too cool for her…" they muttered.

As Rosette opened the door to the choir room, she didn't see Chrono right away. She sighed but took her seat all the same. A few minutes after the bell rang Mr. Steiner arrived late as usual. He threw his bag of lesson plans onto his roller chair where undoubtedly he'd forget about them again, and he stood up straight behind his lectern, clearing his throat to quiet the class down.

"Alright class, we have a couple of students to welcome back today." he announced once he had everyone's attention. "Chrono and Charlene," he looked to the back of the classroom, expecting to see the two, but when he noticed they weren't there he said, "Hmm… I could've sworn that they were supposed to be back today…"

"Sorry I'm late, Mr. Steiner," said Chrono as he walked into the class, "I forgot where the room was."

"That's quite alright; being gone for six months can do that to you." The teacher chuckled at his own joke as the boy took his old seat. "Oh, where's Charlene, wasn't she supposed to come with you?"

Chrono shrugged. "I think she dropped this class."

"Oh… how unfortunate."

In the back of the room, after Chrono had sat down, Genai leaned over to him and asked, "Did Shader really drop the class?" Chrono nodded. "Why?"

"How should I know? And she's gonna get upset if you keep calling her that—she goes by Charlene now, remember?"

Genai grumbled a "yeah, yeah," and slumped back into his seat, wondering why it seemed like Shader was trying to avoid him.

"Alrighty," continued Mr. Steiner, "let's begin today's lesson. Um…" he looked at his desk. "Oh dear," he ducked under his lectern, "Where did I…?" he started scanning the entire floor. "_Fiddle sticks!_" he muttered under his breath.

Chrono snickered at the senile man. "Where's Ed to give him a hand?" he whispered.

Rizelle turned to him sharply and slapped his arm. "Shut up, you idiot!" she hissed, glaring at him.

"What?" he whined, rubbing his arm.

X

Ding Dong Ding Dong! (Some nut cases with bows and arrows have stolen all the cake from the cafeteria to give it to the less fortunate! Revised menu—PIZZA! …again…)

"I think I really blew it this time," grumbled Rosette as Beth met her outside the choir room so that they could go to lunch together.

"Whaddya mean?"

"I mean that I think Chrono's really mad at me for last night coz he hasn't spoken to me at all today!"

"I'm sure he'll get over it. He doesn't hold grudges, does he?"

Rosette frowned, staring at the floor as she walked. "No, not really… but he _does_ take thing too seriously sometimes."

"Ohh… you're talking about that one boy, aren't you? What was his name?"

"Edward," said Rosette sadly, only feeling worse.

"Oh right, _Edward_. Man, it's really sad what happened to him…"

"Can we not talk about this now?"

"Oh, sorry,"

"Angel—SHUT UP!" screamed a girl as Beth and Rosette came into the cafeteria. "The Sinners are so NOT the greatest band ever!"

"You're just being schizophrenic again!" yelled the other girl back. "Yesterday you said they were your favorite band!"

"That's because _yesterday_ they _were_! But today they're _not_!"

"Stop being so schizo!"

"I am not being schizo! Yes you are. No I'm not! Yes you are! No I'm—"

"You're doing it again."

"Sorry,"

"I have to agree with Rose today—they're way overrated." said the boy with them, finally speaking up.

"They used to be _your_ favorite, too, Darian." said the one called Angel.

"That was ages ago," retorted the boy. "My tastes have evolved."

The two girls stopped walking a moment and gave each other a mischievous look. "_He's SUCH a romantic!_" they chimed, sighing dreamily at each other.

"Stop doing that—it's not funny." pouted the boy, blushing. The girls turned away from him and giggled.

"Hey, Rose," said Rosette as they walked passed each other.

"Oh, hey!" chirped the girl, stopping and backing up to Rosette. "Is Joshua here today?"

"He's out sick _again_…" sighed Rosette.

"Oh, darn…" whined Rose. "Everyone seems to be either sick or busy nowadays." She sighed and after a moment she thrust her fist above her head and shouted, "But I won't let this keep us down! The F.A.G.s shall live on!"

"Couldn't you have thought of a better name?" grumbled Darian, totally embarrassed.

"Are you kidding?" cried Angel. "It's a _brilliant_ name!"

"See you later, Rosette!" called Rose as she and Angel marched down the hall chanting "F.A.G.s! F.A.G.s! F.A.G.s!"

"Do I _want _to know what that was about?" asked Beth as she and Rosette finally sat down at a table.

Rosette laughed a little. "F.A.G.—the Fans of Anime Gang; it's just an after school club for, well, fans of anime."

Beth laughed skeptically. "I can see why Joshua joined…"

X

"Alright, Rizelle," started Chrono, "why'd you hit me in choir?"

"I'm not sure I should be the one to tell you." she whispered, looking away from the boy.

"Did you hear they changed the menu again? Pizza—my favorite!" cheered Aion as the band (excluding Shader) walked down to the cafeteria.

"Hey wait," said Chrono, "why aren't we going out to the courtyard?" he asked, pointing out the window.

"We don't need to anymore."

"Why not?"

"We're not that famous anymore."

"What?" cried Chrono, stopping in the middle of the hall. "Why not? What happened?"

"It's coz our sales—" Rizelle started; she whistled while diving her hand toward the floor and making it go 'splat!' with a loud 'ka-boom!' sound effect.

"And for those of you who don't understand interpretive dance," said Aion, "our record sales plummeted."

"I don't understand how that could've happened. I mean, why didn't we just write more songs?"

The rest of the band stopped and pulled Chrono over to the side of the hall. "We _did_ write more songs." said Rizelle glumly.

"But they never sold because they didn't have _your_ pretty little face on the cover."

"Or your fan-favorite voice singing the songs." added Viede.

"Face it," grunted Aion, "we're just not the titans of the music world that we used to be."

"So… who replaced us?" asked Chrono sadly.

"Lots of people," said Viede, "but probably the biggest would be—"

"JESSE MCCARTNEY!-!" squealed Rizele…and Aion.

"_Who?_"

"Jesse McCartney!" cheered Rizelle again. "He's number one on all the charts right now! And for good reasons! His songs are beautiful! His voice is gorgeous!"

"And he's soo dreamy!" chirped Aion.

Everyone stared at him.

"What?" he asked, "I'm allowed to think another boy is dreamy—there's nothing wrong with that."

They just kept staring at him.

"Oh, whatever," he mumbled, turning away, "I'm gonna go get me some pizza."

"So… _other_ than Aion acting totally gay, what else have I missed?"

Before anyone else could say something, Genai stepped into the conversation. "You've missed WAY too much to tell you in one sitting. So can we save it for later; I'm starving?" The others agreed and Chrono reluctantly followed them to the cafeteria where, surprisingly, he wasn't swarmed by fan girls; he kinda wished he had been, though.

X

Chrono, contrary to popular belief, is just a naïve, sensitive child. So naturally when he asks different people the same question, "Where's Ed," and he gets a number of varying responses ranging from tears to apathy to inflicting pain upon him, he has the right to be a little weirded out. He was even tempted to ask Rosette, but then he remembered her "unfaithfulness" and changed his mind.

"Alright class, would you please open your literature books to page 125?" asked Mr. Remington; not a single student moved, they were still upset with him for getting married… and then his new wife going out on maternity leave so quickly. "Come now, I don't want to fail you all for the day." Still they didn't move; the teacher scowled. "Fine; be that way you teenaged brats. See if _I_ care when all your parents ground you for the rest of your life because you failed tenth grade English!" he snapped; post-marital remorse, much? Whatever it was, it got the class' attention and they finally opened their books.

Rosette glanced back at Chrono, wondering if he was still mad at her. "Relax," whispered Beth across the aisle, "I'm sure he's gotten over it by now."

"I'm not so sure," hissed Rosette back. "Coz he has gym with us next, and—"

"Oh right…" groaned Beth, "and _they're_ in gym with us." Rosette nodded.

X

"Where the hell is he?" Chrono asked himself in the next period, gym. "Is he out sick or something?"

"Who's where in the what with the who now?" asked a curious voice beside him.

Chrono looked over at the other boy and nearly jumped out of his skin. "YOU!" he screamed. "It's you! You're him!"

"I'm flattered you know so much about me," said Sora sarcastically with a bright smile.

"You're that bastard that stole my girlfriend!"

"Now we're getting somewhere,"

"Wipe that happy little smile off your face or _I'll_ do it for you." muttered Chrono menacingly, leaning down to the boy.

"Dude, _chill_. What's your problem?"

"_You're_ my problem!"

"What're you talking about?"

"You stole Rosette from me!"

"You've been gone _six months_! And besides, that kiss last night was just her getting reve—" Before he could finish, Chrono took a swing at him. "What are you? Blind _and_ deaf?" taunted the boy smugly. "Coz if it's a fight you want," he landed a punch on the Chrono, "then it's a fight you'll get."

"Aren't you going to stop them?" asked Roxas who was watching the fight from the other side of the bleachers.

"No," said the silver-haired boy he was talking to simply; he didn't even bother to look up from his book.

Roxas stared at him a moment and sighed. "You're no fun…"

"Alright, break it up you two!" ordered Coach Gilliam as he came out to the class. He pushed the two fighters apart with ease and gave them a warning not to let it happen again. "Everyone take a seat on the bleachers—I need to take roll call. Christopher!"

"Here," called Rosette.

"Du Monium!"

"Here…" grumbled Chrono, rubbing his cheek. As the teacher went down the list of names, Chrono looked over to Rosette to see her fussing over Sora's bruised face; he scowled.

"Osment!"

"Here—obviously…" muttered Sora, flinching as Rosette poked at him.

"Why were you two fighting?" whispered the girl so that Chrono wouldn't hear her.

"Ask _him_; he wouldn't listen when I said that it was spite kiss! He got all worked up for nothing!"

"Wait, you knew it was—"

"Of course," laughed the boy. "Why else would you finally kiss me right when he showed up?"

Rosette sighed, smiling at him sweetly. "You know, maybe you're not quite as stupid as everyone says… maybe."

"Oh gee, thanks…"

"And Flynn! …Where's Flynn?" called Gilliam.

"Right here!" called a boy from the top of the hill by the school. The redhead started running down the slope and tripped and rolled most the way, luckily leaping up into an acrobatic stance at the bottom. "Never fear!" he cheered. "The Senior Student Council President is here!"

Roxas lit up like a Christmas tree light and fainted, falling to the ground underneath the bleachers where the Senior President couldn't see him.

"Nice of you to join us, Quinton." grumbled the teacher sarcastically.

"Ah-ba-ba-ba—_Axel_," he said slowly.

"Yeah whatever, just take a seat."

Axel bounded over to Sora and flopped down right next to him, both smiling like idiots. "So how has your day been thus far, Sora?" chirped Axel.

"Not too bad, not too good; I got me a souvenir!" he said proudly, pointing to his cheeks.

Axel gasped. "What treachery is this?" he cried.

"It be-ith of thine yonder fallen star who hath wronged my face and distraught his pride,"

Axel squealed like a little girl. "That was amazing!" he hissed to Sora.

"You think?" whispered the other boy back. "I've been practicing my olde English a lot so I'm glad it's paying off!"

"Okay, okay, let me try!" whispered the President excitedly; he cleared his throat. "But lo weary traveler, tis not thine enemy that wrongs you, but his turf on which ye stand." Sora started to laugh and Axel gave him a broad grin. "Hey, you think he'd like it, too?"

Sora thought for a moment. "He's pretty dull, but I'm sure even he'd get a kick out of it." The two boys glanced around the class and when they didn't see who they were looking for, Sora turned to the silver-haired boy. "Hey, Riku! Have you seen—"

"No," said the other boy, turning a page in his book.

Sora frowned. "What's up with you? Why don't you talk to me anymore?" Riku didn't answer; Sora sighed. "Do you not talk to me because you hate me?"

"No,"

"Then you still like me?"

"No,"

"…You don't want me interrupting your book, do you?"

"No,"

Sora sighed again. "He's so fickle," he whispered to Axel.

"At least you get to see him; I haven't seen you-know-who in days."

"He's just being shy,"

"Alright children," called Coach Gilliam, clapping his hands together, "since we're nearing the end of the school year, we don't have anything left scheduled, so what would you all like to play?"

" Rugby!"

"Baseball!"

"Nap time!"

"Ha ha ha—very funny!" laughed the teacher tiredly. "How 'bout a game of dodge ball?" The class groaned; "What?"

"We _always_ play dodge ball!" shouted one of the kids.

"Well…tough! Everyone on the left of the bleachers go put on red jerseys, the rest of you go get blue ones." After everyone was ready but before Gilliam could start the game, he blew his whistle suddenly. "Riku!" he shouted, "This isn't English class—put that book away!"

"No,"

The coach growled. "Alright fine, but when you get hit out don't come running to me…" he threw the balls into play. "Have at ye!"

Chrono immediately grabbed a ball and aimed it at Sora, chucking it with all his might which apparently equaled the force of a small child. Sora laughed at him and picked up the ball as it slowly rolled to him. He threw it back at Chrono, just barely missing him. Rosette looked over at the two and frowned disapprovingly.

"Better pay attention, Rosy!" called Beth, "Or you might just wind up," she threw her ball, "striking out!"

Rosette watched the ball bounce past her pathetically and then she turned to her friend; "You throw like a girl."

"Well you play like one!" rebutted the brunette. Another ball came flying and hit Beth in the stomach.

"Grunberg you're out!" shouted the coach. Beth grumbled hotly as she trudged off the field, leaving Rosette to find a new target, and Chrono just happened to be on the other team.

"Face it Chrono," yelled Sora as he obtained yet another ball to hurl at him, "you're luck's run out—you're a dead man!" The boy grinned evilly as he wound up his pitch; he threw it harder than ever but somehow Chrono dodged it and the ball went for Riku. "Watch out!" yelled Sora, suddenly very nervous.

Still without looking up from his book, Riku caught the ball with ease, one handed nonetheless. Before Gilliam could call Sora out of the game, Riku threw the ball back at him, knocking Sora over.

"Uh, yeah… you're out Osment…"

Sora groaned, trying to stand up. Chrono looked back at Riku to see that he was still reading his book, minding his own business, yet a small smirk had made its way to his lips. While Rosette was watching them, a ball hit her out and soon after, Chrono, too. When the game was down to its final two players, it was Riku on the blue side and Storm on the red; needless to say Riku kicked butt without ever looking up which ticked off Gilliam quite a bit.

Ding Dong Ding Dong! (It's the end of the school year, and if you don't turn in all your library books we'll keep you in a tiny cage in the basement all summer!)

"Nice game, Rosy!" chirped Beth as they headed for the locker rooms.

"Are you kidding? My team lost."

"Hey, at least you lasted longer than me!" they both started to giggle, and then they both freaked out when a body rolled out from underneath the bleachers.

"Ugh… what happened…?" it moaned.

"R-Roxas?" asked Rosette nervously. "Wh-why were you… oh. Did you faint again?"

The boy slowly got up, rubbing his head. "I guess… what time is it?"

"The bell just rang; you missed all of gym."

He groaned, slumping over. "I can't believe this keeps happening to me…"

"You're fine as long as you don't faint in the street," joked Beth; Roxas became even more sullen as if it was actually possible.

"It's all because of _him_…" he muttered.

"Who?"

He straightened up quickly, waving his hands at the girls. "N-no one!" he stuttered, "Forget I-I said anyth-thing!" he started to laugh nervously, inching away before he flew to the boys' locker room.

"That was weird," stated Beth. "Hey," she started, turning to Rosette, "do you have work today?"

"Yeah," she sighed, "but not 'till later tonight. Meaning I won't get any sleep _again_…" she moaned.

Beth laughed; "I could take your shift if you want."

"Nah," she sighed, smiling at her friend, "I'll be fine."

Just then, they spotted Chrono walking toward the front entrance through one of the glass hallways. "Hey," said Beth, "didn't you want to talk to him today? Maybe if you hurry you could catch him."

Rosette blushed and nodded, dashing to the locker room and speedily slipping into her regular clothes. She shot down the hall and just before Chrono got into the atrium she called out to him. He turned but didn't smile or say anything.

"Hey," she chirped, breathing heavily and leaning over, trying to catch her breath. "We… we haven't really talked yet… have we?"

He shrugged; "What's there to talk about?"

Rosette frowned, standing back up. "Well… how about…" she trailed off; there were a million questions she had, but she didn't know where to start.

"Oh, I've got something," said Chrono rather lightly. Rosette looked at him but he turned away. "How about, 'what's his name?'"

She tilted her head; "What…?"

"That waiter—what's his name?"

Rosette frowned. "Oh… him…" she cleared her throat. "You know, that thing, I mean about last night that was just, um…"

"Don't worry," he said, continuing to walk to the door, "you don't have to explain." Rosette actually got her hopes up that he could understand—something she'd soon regret. "He's just one of you're weekly infatuations that you'll dump in a few days and then go find some fresh meat."

Rosette took a step backward. "What?" she asked, utterly confused, "What're you talking about?"

Chrono stopped walking, still not turning to face her. "Don't pretend like you don't know. I know all about your little boy toys; a new one every week—you just drop them like flies." Before Rosette could get a single word in, Chrono scowled at her over his shoulder. "My mother was right; you _are_ a _whore_."

Rosette swallowed hard, gripping her books tightly, pressing them against her chest. "I don't," she choked out, holding back tears. "I don't know where you heard that from, or why you'd ever believe it, but it's not true."

He tsk-ed, turning away again. "Oh please, don't insult me with more lies; that waiter was only proof."

Rosette bit down on her lip; it was becoming harder and harder not to cry. "Is that what you really think?" she squeaked, unable to control her pitch.

"Turning on the waterworks, eh? That is so overdramatic." Rosette jammed her eyes shut and bowed her head, hiding her tears from him. She tried to speak, but her words either came out as small squeaks or nothing at all. "You know," he continued, halfway looking at her, "I really should have seen this coming. Ever since your fling with Ed you've been nothing but—"

"Shut up," she choked out, now more angry than upset, "don't you dare drag him into this. You know I already apologized for that and… and I thought that we had everything back to normal…"

Chrono snorted. "Normal? That's a good one. Nothing's normal since Aion told me about your—"

"Aion?" asked Rosette, cutting him off. "When did you talk to Aion?"

"When I came back in late March, of course; but then I left again because of you're little antics."

Rosette balled her fists. "You were back… after only a month…?" he nodded. "And then you left again because of some gossip?" she screamed. "You didn't even come to see me? Or talk it out? You didn't even leave a damn message?" Chrono flinched at her outburst; he hadn't expected her to take it like this. He started to wonder if it was true or not. "How could you be so stupid as to believe such a dumb rumor?"

"Rumor?" he yelled back. "You've done it before, it wasn't a surprise!"

"Oh really? Then I guess my promise meant nothing at all to you?"

"How am I supposed to believe something you can't keep your word on?"

"I DID keep my word!"

"Then what was THAT last night?"

"That was—" she stopped yelling and looked down at the floor. "That was…" she whispered.

"See?" he said more calmly. "Typical of a whore; can't make up her mind on the lies she tells." Rosette shot him a glare; he smirked cynically. "There are two little words I'd use to describe you,"

"We're through." She spat, glaring at him determinedly.

"…What?" he asked slowly, becoming very nervous.

"We're through, done, finished—it's over." She said coldly, turning away and walking down the hall.

"…B…but…" he started, unable to find the right words. All he could do was chase her down the hall to the parking lot as she hastily walked to get away from him. "You can't do this!" he finally managed to say.

Rosette turned on her heel and glared. "I'm sick of being treated like this, so I can do whatever the hell I want!" she shouted. She reached into her pocket, still storming away, and tried to take out her keys; she accidentally fumbled them, though, dropping them onto the pavement. Chrono automatically reached down to get them, but she swatted his hand away and snatched them up. He stared at her with wide eyes still unable to find the words he wanted.

He hadn't wanted anything like _this_ to happen. Yes he was mad at her. Yes he felt betrayed. Yes he wanted to hurt her… but not like this. He hadn't thought that she'd actually break up with him. He didn't know what to do; it was times like this when he really hated himself for being so slow.

"His name's Sora," came Rosette's icy voice, breaking into Chrono's thoughts. He looked down at her as she put on her helmet. She glared up at him one more time before turning the key and starting the ignition. "Things change, Chrono. People change. But I guess you're still as gullible as ever." With that, she revved her bike and sped away, disappearing into New York traffic.

X

X

X

Chrono: Why are you so mean to me?

Me: Coz it's so damn fun.

Chrono: People hate you for it.

Me: Really?

Chrono: …Well…_I_ hate you for it.

Me: Doesn't count.

Azzy: Soo… What's so special about this chapter?

Me: Oh right. Well, today is 10/23/06.

Azzy: And…?

Me: Exactly one year ago today, I posted the prologue (chapter 1) of this story.

Azyy: So it's—

Me: Yep: one flip-tastic year anniversary.

Azzy: Wow. An entire flip-tastic year…

Chrono: That's pretty bad that this rant has been going an entire year.

Me: I don't use outlines—I said that ages ago. But there is one thing I have to say. (turns to reader) An entire year. You've been reading this an entire year. …_WHY?_

Chrono: I'd like to know that, too. Why do so many people read this?

Azzy: Certainly it can't be _good_.

Me: Actaully, people do tell me they like it.

Chrono and Azzy: ………_WHY?_

Me: I dunno; they just do.

Chrono: You should ask them

Me: Maybe I will. (turns to reader again) Hey, why do y'all like this so much? Or not, which ever. I'd kinda—

Chrono: —really—

Me: —like to know.

Azzy: Other than that,

Me: Please review… like always.

Chrono: "Always?"

Me: I mean like I always _ask_.

Chrono: Ohh… coz you don't always get—

Me: (evil death glare)

Chrono: (whimper) I'll shut up now.

Me: Good boy.


End file.
